Young hearts
by stanaticfanatic
Summary: AU. "Apparently I don't look like a Kate but do I really look like an idiot?" It's Kate Beckett's first year at Stanford and it's not long before she meets Rick 'different girl every week' Rodgers. Sparks fly and Kate tries her hardest to ignore them - but how long will that last, especially when Rick is determined to make her his? Rating may change.
1. Here's to the good times

"Well, I guess this is it then," Jim said, hauling the last of his daughters bags out of the car. "Would you believe it, my little Katie bug all ready for college!"

"Stop it, dad," Kate blushed, ducking her head.

"Oh sweetie, you know we're just so proud of you," her mother supplied with a warm smile, "we know how hard you've worked to get yourself where you are and going to Stanford is a huge deal - and you're our only child, this is the only chance we're going to get to drop our kid off at college you know!"

"I'm going to miss you," Kate whispered, raising her head just enough to meet her mothers eyes. "And you too," she added, glancing over at her dad.

"We're going to miss you too, honey," her father said, "but we're at the end of the telephone if you want to call and New York is only six hours from here on a plane, we can be here in an instant if you need us."

"Which you won't," Johanna interrupted loudly, with a reprimanding look at her husband. "You'll be absolutely fine, you're going to make some amazing friends and have a brilliant time - just don't get too caught up in the partying, your classes are important too!"

"And no boys," he dad added, which was met with eye rolls from both his daughter and his wife. "Right, well I guess we better leave you to it, let you get settled into your room."

This was the moment Kate had been dreading, the goodbye to her parents, she wasn't going to see them again until thanksgiving and right now that seemed like ages away. But she was eighteen now, needed to learn to stand on her own two feet and make her own way in the world. It's why she had chosen Stanford, not only had she worked her ass off to get the grades, it was a far enough distance for her to make her own life and not be constantly looked over by her parents. She loved them to pieces but being an only child had made her a little spoilt, always having the attention of her parents and it was time she got used to not having them there 24/7, she was an adult now.

"Bye daddy," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her fathers neck. "I'll call in a few days, okay, when I've settled in and found my way around a bit." Her father gave her one last squeeze before handing her over to her mother.

"Bye honey," Johanna whispered and the hitch in her voice almost sent Kate into tears. "Be safe, okay? And call when you can, and make loads of friends and work hard and-"

"I get it, mom," Kate laughed. "Now you two go, spend your last night in California celebrating the fact that after eighteen years you have your house back!"

"We'll see you in a couple of months," they promised before heading back into the car and driving off with one last wave.

Right then Katherine Beckett, time to stand on your own two feet and find out where the hell you're supposed to be going right now.

* * *

"Hey," a voice said from the doorway, "I'm Lanie Parish, it take it we're roommates?"

Kate looked up to see a young woman entering the room, probably around the same age as Kate herself. The room had been empty when Kate had arrived, but there were two beds so Kate knew she would be expecting someone else soon. "Hi," she smiled warmly. "I'm Kate Beckett and if you're in room 247 then yeah, looks like we're roommates."

"Cool," Lanie replied, hauling her stuff into the room. "Man, this is crazy, I can't believe I'm finally at college!"

"Me either," Kate agreed, "it's all so surreal. You from around here or have you've flown the nest, so to speak?"

"Nah, I'm from Brooklyn, New York, wanted to get as far away from home as possible - and here I am! What about you?" Lanie was piling clothes from her suitcase onto her bed now, preparing to get them put away. Kate had just finished and was wondering what she could do when Lanie walked in.

"Manhattan," she laughed, "crazy, we live in the same city and yet end up meeting on the opposite side of the country!" It had only been ten minutes but Kate was sure she was going to get on well with her roommate already, which was good, the last thing she wanted was a pageant queen who always stunk the room out with hairspray or something. "What're you studying?"

"I'm pre-med," Lanie said with a grimace. "My momma wasn't best pleased, if she had it her way I'd be married by the time I was 20 and have three kids by 25. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course but ya know..it's not me!"

"Wow, pre-med and at Stanford, your mother must be proud, right?"

"Oh yeah, I think she is, first in my family to go to college but I still think she would have preferred it if I chose Columbia or somewhere a little closer to home. Now, I would ask what you're studying but with an accent like yours and knowing you're from Manhattan I'm going to take a wild guess at pre-law?"

"Got it in one," Kate laughed. "You want some help?" She offered, nodding towards Lanie's remaining bags, she felt a little rude sitting there and not helping.

"Oh er..yeah..if you want," Lanie shrugged, "thanks."

"No worries, it'll get done quicker if there's two of us. So, are you one of those that's going to be at parties every night or do you prefer quiet nights in?"

"A bit of both I guess," Lanie replied as they folded her clothes into drawers. "I mean, with my course I'm going to be pretty busy and that's my main priority - can't have my momma saying 'I told you so' when it all goes wrong! But it's college after all, you've gotta party sometime!"

Kate was relieved, she loved a party as much as the next person but she was serious about her studies too, she was determined to make her parents proud of her. "Same," she admitted. "And I'm happy to have nights in with a pizza, watching a sappy chick flic!"

"Oh girl, I can tell now that this is going to be just right!" Lanie exclaimed as the finished her unpacking. "Now what do you say we go and have a look around, see what talent this place has to offer?" She said with a wink and Kate laughed, breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn't completely alone in this place.

* * *

A whole week had passed since Kate had arrived at Stanford, she couldn't believe how quick it was going. She'd had introductions to some of her courses during the week and she could tell she was going to enjoy the majority of them immensely, she always looked forward to expanding her knowledge and learning new things. Her and Lanie had become fast friends, meeting each other for lunch in their free time and spending the evenings together too, sometimes with the company of some of the others from their dorm building - the two girls next door were lovely and the two guys from across the hall seemed friendly enough too.

Kate had called home on Thursday, reassuring her parents that she was perfectly fine and that she was enjoying herself. She'd told them about Lanie and a couple of the people she'd met in her first few days and they seemed relieved that she was making friends. Honestly, you'd think she hadn't had any back in New York the way her parents seemed to be worried about it.

Tonight was Saturday and Lanie had told her about a party going on just down the street, some frat boy having a celebration for another year at college or something, they weren't really bothered about the reason but it was a good opportunity to meet some new people and figure out what was good around here. Neither of them had had a chance to get to any parties during the week, both of them so exhausted at the end of the day that they'd collapsed into bed and spent the night talking and laughing until they fell asleep.

"Which top?" Kate asked, exasperated. She'd done her hair, applied her make up and pulled on her favourite jeans, but couldn't for the life of her decide which shirt to wear.

"The green one," Lanie said, sparing half a second to look at the choices before returning to her make up.

"Lanie, you didn't even look!" Kate whined.

"Yeah I did," Lanie argued, "and the green one will bring out your eyes."

The green one it was then.

* * *

"That's Rick Rodgers," Amy, one of the girls from the room next to Kate and Lanie shouted into Kate's ear to be heard above the loud music. "I've heard about him, he's a senior, always with a different girl every week, sometimes three or four at once. Famous for flirting with anything with a pulse and the worst thing is the girls just don't seem to care that they're not the only one he's seeing." Amy sounded disgusted with this Rick's behaviour and Kate made a mental note to stay away from him. The last thing she wanted was to end associated with the college Hugh Hefner.

The party was everything Kate and Lanie had expected a college frat party to be, loud music, girls stumbling around drunk, drinks being served in red cups and guys trying to get the attention of as many girls as possible. But still, it was all about the college experience and this party had it in spades. Kate had lost Lanie about half an hour ago, her roommate disappearing with a cute guy to the corner of the room somehwere.

Plenty of guys had tried their luck with Kate but she wasn't looking for a quick hook up, especially not one that wouldn't really be worth her time once the guy fell asleep or puked up due to too much alcohol. Still, she drank and danced the night away, enjoying letting her hair down and having a little fun. She'd not really done this much back home, not properly, anyway. Sure, she'd been to her share of college parties but that was usually with the grunge rocker she'd been dating at the time and they weren't really her kind of people, more of a rebellious action to get at her father. So this was fun, this was what it meant to be young and carefree and not have to worry about curfews or being too loud when she made herself a cheese toastie at three in the morning.

"Do you wanna dance?" A voice came from behind her and she whirled around to find herself face to face with a rather impressive looking chest, what she could make out of it from behind the t-shirt it's owner was currently wearing, anyway. Her eyes darted upwards towards the face of the voice and she had to suppress a grin - looked like Amy had been right, Rick Rodgers was currently stood in front of her, looking at her with a cocky grin on his face, ignoring the rather obvious 'come and get me' looks from plenty of other females in the room.

"Er no, thank you," she replied, turning to walk away from him but he caught her arm.

"Hey," he called, frowning slightly. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," she replied, ignoring the butterflies that had appeared low in her abdomen when he looked at her with those incredibly blue eyes.. "Just..I wouldn't want to keep you.." She told him, pointedly looking around at the various girls waiting for their turn with the famous Rick Rodgers.

"Sweetheart, with a body like yours you can keep me all night."

Ugh, cocky bastard. "All night?" She repeated. "Sure you can go for that long?"

Rick just stared at her, a mixture of confusion and admiration on his face. She'd hazard a guess that he wasn't used to being so blatantly turned down by girls, they probably fell at his feet as he walked through campus.

Kate resisted the urge to pull away as he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Honey, I'll have you know my stamina is more than up to the job."

Jesus Christ who did this guy think he was? "I'll take your word for it," she muttered. "And if you turn around, you'll see that there's more than enough girls just waiting for you to prove to them that you can go all night so why don't you trot on over there and leave me alone."

"You haven't even told me your name," he protested, not moving an inch.

"And I'm sure you can sleep tonight without knowing."

"Kate!" Lanie called, "there you are! Just letting you know that I'm heading- oh, hi," she smiled, realising that Kate was currently mid conversation. "I'm Lanie," she introduced herself, holding out her hand to Rick.

"Rick Rodgers," he announced, "a pleasure to meet you."

"You too," Lanie smiled. "Kate, I'll see you tomorrow," she added with a wink before disappearing into the crowd of people.

"So, Kate, huh?"

Perfect timing, Lanie. "Yes," she sighed.

"Hmm..never would have pegged you as a Kate..something more exotic would suit you I think..."

For crying out loud, the guy had at least ten girls just waiting for him to flash his million dollar smile at them and yet he was stood here contemplating what she should be called.

"Yeah..anyway..I'm gonna go.." She announced, turning on her heel and heading for the door. She made it as far as the end of the driveway before a voice called out to her.

"What, I'm not even going to get your number?"

She turned back and saw Rick stood on the doorstep, a grin on his face. "Apparently I don't look like a Kate but do I really look like an idiot?" She replied before sauntering away, failing to keep the grin off of her face.

Rick was confused and intrigued by Kate, she was different and as he watched her ass as she strode away from him, he knew for sure that he wanted to get to know her just a little better.

* * *

**A/N: couple of factual issues about this fic: the year is 1998 and Kate is 18, 19 in the November. Johanna is still alive, and I can tell you now that she will not be dying in January of 99, however it may come at a later date. Castle is 22, so only four years older than Beckett, compared to the 10 or so that's between them in the show.**

**I'm pretty excited about this fic and I hope you all enjoy it, I've planned out a good few chapters so it's looking to be a fairly long one - let's see how we go!**

**Your thoughts and questions will always be welcome :)**

**twitter: holaitsjade | tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	2. Call me, maybe

**A/N: couple more facts; Rick doesn't have any books published yet but it will happen whilst he's still at college, as will the name change. Thank you to those of you who reviewed the first chapter, I'm glad you all enjoyed it and here is chapter two!**

* * *

She was beautiful.

The way her smile was so wide it took up half of her face, lighting up those gorgeous eyes in the process; the way she flicked her hair over her shoulder without really noticing what she was doing, of the effect she had on him - and a few other males in the crowded cafeteria. They hadn't gone unnoticed by Rick, how at least a dozen guys had turned to watch her as she walked in half an hour ago to join her friend, Lanie he thought was her name, the same friend she'd been with at the party four nights ago.

Four nights since they'd met, four nights since she'd turned him down and brushed him off like a speck of dust on an old pair of jeans. But still, he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind since that night, his dreams flooded with images of this beautiful, captivating mystery who had grabbed his attention the second he'd seen her dancing in that living room. Since Sunday morning he'd looked for her everywhere he'd gone, hoping to perhaps bump into her around campus or in the library but he'd had no luck - until now.

Rick had been in the cafeteria for about twenty minutes when he saw her walk in, his attention immediately dropping from the blonde in front of him, Emily was her name..or maybe it was Erica..oh whatever, it's not like he cared anyway, girls like her were a dime a dozen around here, but Kate..Kate was different. Perhaps it had something to do with her bad ass attitude and quite obvious disgust for the way he lived his life but Rick couldn't deny that he was smitten and he knew he'd work his ass off to get her one way or another, once he turned on the famous Rodgers charm she just wouldn't be able to resist him.

He also wouldn't deny that he had felt a little pang of jealousy when he saw a fair few other heads turn in Kate's direction as she entered and made her way to the table Lanie was currently sat at, and especially not when she greeted a tall, blonde guy with a kiss on the cheek when he made his way over to say hi. As far as Rick was concerned that girl was his and he'd be damned if he let anyone else have her.

"Hey baby, what do you say we get together tonight..I've got a _chemistry_ test I really need to study for.." Erica or Emily or Eva was purring into his ear. Baby? _Ugh_.

"Sorry, I'm an English major, no good at chemistry," he responded distractedly, without taking his eyes off of Kate, hoping the blonde would get the hint and leave him alone. Luck was on his side - he heard her sigh and mumble something about "what does she have that I don't" before disappearing off to find some other guy to harass.

It had been fun at first, getting girls easily and always having _company_ but the novelty was definitely starting to wear off, the way he could just walk into a party and have five girls on his arm in an instant was honestly getting a little boring. Rick wanted excitement. Something new and interesting..a challenge - and boy was Kate going to be a challenge, but as he heard the tinkle of her laughter ring through his ears from her table, he was damn sure it was going to be the best reward he'd ever gotten.

"So, how's second week going for you girls?" Adam asked as he joined Lanie and Kate at their table. He lived across the hall from them with his roommate - and boyfriend - and they had both made friends with the girls the day after they'd moved in.

"Pretty good," Kate replied first, taking a sip of her water. "It's busy and full on but I'm really enjoying it so far, there's just so much to take in!"

"Tell me about it," Lanie laughed, "I don't know how people have time to party every night, I'm ready for bed straight after I've eaten dinner at the moment!"

"You'll get used to it," Adam told them. He was a junior, majoring in Political Science so he knew firsthand the shock of the workload straight off the bat. It had been crazy for him too at first but you soon get used to it, work out a way to balance all your assignments and projects and still have time to have a bit of a social life. "What about the guys, seen anybody interesting yet?" He asked with a grin.

"Well..Kate met somebody interesting at the party we went to on Saturday night," Lanie answered with a mischievous grin. She hadn't completely ignored the exchange between Rick and her friend the other night, she might have been a little distracted and on her way out but anybody could have sensed the tension between those two, it was almost electric.

"Er, no I didn't," Kate argued. "And besides, I wasn't the one who spent the majority of the night with my tongue down some guys throat."

Lanie simply shrugged. "I'm eighteen and at college, it's called having fun."

"Okay, now this I have to hear," Adam laughed. He'd been watching the conversation between the two of them and he hadn't missed the faint blush that had appeared on Kate's cheeks when Lanie mentioned her meeting someone. "So, who is he, Kate?"

"He's nobody," Kate replied defiantly. "Just some jumped up asshole who thinks girls should fall at his feet and worship the ground he walks on."

"Rick Rodgers," Lanie and Adam said at the same time.

"How on earth did you you know that?" Kate asked.

"The way you described him," Adam shrugged. "You strike me as the kind who isn't impressed easily and especially not when it comes to jumped up assholes. And besides, you're hot, Rodgers was bound to try it on at some point. You'll probably be next, Lanie."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Lanie grinned, "in the half an hour since Kate walked in here, I've seen Rick brush off some blonde tart, not once taking his eyes off of Kate."

Kate blushed and her eyes widened. "You're making it up," she said, desperately hoping she was right, it would just be her luck to attract the attention of the college playboy.

"On no I'm not," Lanie said, raising her hand in a wave before motioning for Rick to come and join them. "And lover boy is on his way over right this second."

"Lanie," Kate hissed, "I swear to god you-"

"Hey girls," came the voice of Rick Rodgers as he appeared from behind Kate and took the seat next to her. Brilliant, just what she wanted right now. "And how are you today?"

"Great!" Lanie exclaimed whilst Kate simply muttered "fine."

"I don't think we've met," Rick said politely to Adam before introducing himself.

Kate didn't know what to do. On one hand, she could stand up and leave, make her excuses and pretend she had somewhere to be - but Lanie knew that wasn't true and Kate wouldn't put it past her to point that out and make her look like and idiot in front of Rick. Not that she was bothered about that per se, it was more the fact that she didn't want Rick cottoning onto the fact that he affected her like he did, the last thing she wanted was for him to think it was because of him that she wanted to leave because she knew he'd read more into it and take it as confirmation that she was interested. Which she wasn't. At all.

So her other option was to sit here and listen to the conversation Lanie was making with Rick, whilst his knee was pressed against hers under the table. She tried desperately to ignore the butterflies once again but it was damn near impossible, the guy was hot, she could admit that and she wasn't completely unaffected by the whole bad boy thing he had going on. But getting involved with a guy like that was not an option, he would be a waste of her time and it would only end badly when he moved on to the next girl anyway so why would she put herself through that?

When she was fifteen she'd made a promise to herself that she'd never be one of 'those girls', the kind that spends their time hoping to catch the attention of the high school quarterback or whatever, the popular jock that everyone wanted to be with and she'd done well, she'd dated a bit in high school, nothing serious but they were nice guys, guys who didn't mess her about and she had fun with. She had hoped this could transpire to college too, but with the way she was affected by the slightest of touches from Rick she was beginning to think it might not be so easy this time.

The 'look at me I'm so amazing' showing off thing had never done it for her before but now..well, living in a new state didn't seem to be the only noticeable change in her life.

"You're very quiet today, Kate," Rick noted. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Perfect, thank you," she replied politely, cursing internally as she felt herself blush. Jesus Christ why was she like a fourteen year old with a crush? Just because a guy was showing her a bit of attention didn't mean she needed to freak out, it's not like it hadn't happened before..she wouldn't exactly describe herself as overly attractive but she thought she was okay looking. Of course she had hang ups, certain parts of her body that she disliked but so did everybody, it was just part of being a girl. But still, she'd had boyfriends at school, had guys stare at her as she walked past all dressed up, beep at her from their cars as she walked down the street, so why was it such a big deal that this guy in particular was showing her some attention?

_It's because you don't want to want him_, the voice inside her head answered for her. Dammit. She didn't want him, not at all. _Liar_.

"Right, well it was lovely speaking with you all but I need to get back to the library, see you all around soon," Rick announced as he stood up from the table. Kate breathed a sigh of relief, he was leaving, it hadn't been that bad and she'd managed to sit there and act like she wasn't interested - hopefully the guy would take a hint now and move on to someone else. Someone who actually wanted him. _As in not her._

"Oh and Kate," he whispered, leaning down to talk into her ear without being overheard. "Here's my number, call me." As he walked away from their table, Kate glanced down and noticed he'd pressed a scrap of paper with his number scrawled onto it into her hand. So much for moving on to the next girl.

"So are you gonna call him?" Lanie asked, munching on a carrot stick.

"Call who?" Kate asked, playing dumb.

Lanie and Adam shared a look. "Rick, obviously," Lanie harrumphed. "We aren't stupid, we saw him give you his number."

Kate rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not going to call him."

"Why not?" Lanie and Adam asked in unison.

"Because I'm not interested, that's why."

"Oh come off it," Lanie scoffed. "The guy is _hot_, even you can't deny that. And he's into you, what's the big deal?"

"The_ big deal_ is that I don't want to be just another one of Rick Rodgers' conquests. I don't want to be 'one of those girls' you know, it's not a club I signed up to join when we looked around last week," Kate said, hoping her voice didn't betray how she really felt. It wasn't that she wanted him..she just didn't not want him either. God he was infuriating and cocky and a jackass and..and..and hot. Like, _really_ hot. His broad chest was to die for in itself, never mind the bulging biceps and toned shoulders. And oh _god_ those _eyes_, she could stare into them for hours and never get bored.

Oh hell she was screwed.

* * *

As if Kate didn't think she was doomed enough as it was, that night she couldn't sleep. Her mind was flooded with images of Rick and his stupid damn eyes. Lanie had dropped off over an hour ago, the room filled with the sound of her soft breathing as she had a night filled with dreams and rest. But not Kate, oh no, she was wide awake and trying desperately to think of anything other than the guy who had wormed his way into her head. Not that she'd would _ever_ give him the satisfaction of knowing he had got to her though, never in a million years. He was better off thinking she wasn't interested and hopefully he'd finally get bored and move on to his next victim.

Lanie had spent the evening trying to convince her of the advantages of dating Rick and she had to admit, a few of them would be beneficial to her but the cons far outweighed the pros. It's not like she'd even be dating him exclusively, he'd have a few others on the go too and Kate Beckett was not going to settle for that, she deserved more that that.

What she needed was a distraction, to find a nice guy who wouldn't mess her about and flirt with ten other girls in front of her and expect her to be fine with it..perhaps she could ask Lanie to help her, or maybe Adam knew someone he could hook her up with. She could go on a date, do it all properly and forget all about Rick Rodgers. Yeah, that's what she'd do - he might be used to getting his own way but not this time, this time he wasn't getting the girl.

As she finally drifted off to sleep, Kate conveniently forgot that she still had Rick's number under the lamp on her bedside table, she just hadn't been able to bring herself to tear it up and throw it away.

Not that that meant anything, obviously.

* * *

**A/N: ****I feel the need to point out that I'm not American, I'm English, so I apologise for any factual mistakes to do with the college system. Feel free to correct me if you think I could change it in future chapters :)**

**Reviews make me happy :)**

**twitter: holaitsjade | tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic **


	3. Come and get it

**A/N: thank you if you reviewed, think I replied to all of you individually :) and woah, over 100 followers after just two chapters..that's so cool!**

* * *

Kate's first month at Stanford passed so much quicker than she ever imagined it would, before she knew it, October was upon them and she almost missed the cooling temperatures of New York, she was kind of glad to be going home for thanksgiving and Christmas, it would be nice to see the snow and go ice skating at Rockefeller again, California was so much different to home.

Classes had been busy and full on from the start, her workload piling up so much that she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever have an entire day free. Still, she knew it would be worth it in the end, she wouldn't make it as the first female chief of justice if she didn't put the effort in; as her mother always said: 'you get out what you put in, Katie.'

She missed her parents. Sure, it was nice to be away from home and not have to worry about curfews and rules but still, she loved them and was really looking forward to seeing them next month when she flew home for thanksgiving. But before thanksgiving, they had Halloween and with three weeks to go, the campus was getting ready for the huge party they were throwing. Some of the seniors were planning it and from what Kate had heard, it was going to be the best Halloween party the college had ever hosted.

But Kate still had three weeks before that, and an awful lot of work to catch up on. She had the morning free now, so instead of heading to the library, she had popped into her new favourite coffee shop and was waiting to order before she planned to sit in the corner and make a start on a paper she had due for next week.

"Hey," came a voice from next to her. "It's Kate, right?" He said. "I'm Jack, from your sociology class?"

Kate racked her brains for a moment before it hit her, she hadn't paid him a huge amount of attention before, he was the guy in her class that was constantly surrounded by people, seemingly friends with everyone, probably his high school quarterback or something. "Yeah," she smiled, "I remember. How are you?" They stepped forward in the line and it was their turn to order. "Grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla, please," she said to the barista.

"Make that two," Jack added. "I'll get these."

"Oh no," Kate replied, "you don't have to-"

"It's just a coffee," he laughed, "if it really bothers you that much then I'll let you buy them tomorrow."

"Okay," she said. "Thank- wait, what makes you think there's going to be a tomorrow?"

"You caught me," he grinned. "But you know, a guy can dream. Shall we sit?" He asked as they took their drinks.

"Yeah but I uh..have a lot of work to do." Kate didn't want him to think she was being rude or trying to get rid of him, she really did have a lot to do.

"That's okay," Jack replied, "I still need to finish that research for sociology this afternoon, wanna share a table?"

"Sure," Kate agreed. Well, her mom had told her to make lots of friends, hadn't she? The two of them settled at the table with their coffees, pulling out paper and folders, slipping into a comfortable silence as they worked.

Kate's paper turned out to be a lot easier than she had thought it would be, and an hour and a half later she was done. However she could see Jack was still working and didn't want to interrupt him. Pretending to still be writing her paper, Kate took the opportunity to observe her new study partner slash friend. He was attractive, that was for sure, tall and well built, he obviously spent a fair bit of time working out. His eyes were the colour of chocolate, which matched his hair perfectly and the cheeky smile he shot her every now and then was cute. Just the kind of guy she _should_ be interested in, hot and kind and paid her plenty of attention. But it wasn't there..the _je ne sais quoi _that all good relationships needed, the little spark of attraction between them that intensified until they did something about it.

"Done," he sighed, putting down his pen and stretching his arms out, before glancing at his watch and checking the time. "Holy crap I need to go," Jack announced. "I have class in fifteen minutes and it's on the other side of campus." He began packing his things up and put them in his bag, ready to go. "Listen, I know we don't know each other very well but I was uh wondering if you um..wanted to uh go out sometime?"

Kate noted how he couldn't quite keep eye contact as he asked her which was kinda cute. "Oh," she replied, a little shocked. "I um.."

"Look, why don't you think about it?" He suggested. "I have class now but I'll see you in sociology this afternoon, right?" Kate nodded. "So yeah, think about it and let me know," he confirmed with a smile.

"Sure," Kate smiled back. "I'll see you later." Jack walked out of the coffee shop, hurrying to class.

Now what was she supposed to do?

* * *

"Hey girl," Lanie called when she spotted Kate heading towards the table she was currently occupying in the cafeteria. "Get much work done this morning?"

"Yeah I did, actually," Kate smiled. "Very productive morning. How's yours been?"

"Not too bad," Lanie shrugged, "but you know, would have rather had the morning off like some people," she added with a pointed look at Kate who just laughed.

"Yeah well, you finish at 4 on a Friday and some of us are stuck in lectures until 6.30!"

"Mm, that's true.." Lanie mused. "Yeah, I take it back, my timetable is better than yours!"

"I uh..got talking to someone today, too," Kate admitted, avoiding eye contact and toying with her food. She wasn't planning on bringing it up but changed her mind at the last minute, deciding Lanie's thoughts could be useful. Lanie was the closest thing she had to a best friend here and knew whatever she said would stay between them.

"Uh huh, and would this someone happen to be a cute guy?"

"He would," Kate confirmed, wishing her body to feel what she felt when..well, when Rick bloody Rodgers spoke to her or looked at her or walked into the freaking room. "His name is Jack and he's in my sociology class. We got talking over coffee and he asked me out."

"Kate!" Lanie exclaimed. "Oh that's so cool, it's about time you actually went out on a date. So, when are you going?"

"I uh..didn't actually say yes yet.."

Lanie's smile fell into a frown. "What? Why?"

Kate was about to explain that she wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but movement from the corner of her eye distracted her. Rick was making his way into the cafeteria, heading to a table directly in Kate's line of sight - a table with a few couples and a girl who he sat next to.

"Kate?" Lanie pressed. "What are you- oh." Lanie had followed Kate's gaze and realised what she was staring at. "So that's why you haven't said yes, hey? Still thinking about going out with-"

"No!" Kate interrupted, a little more forcefully that was probably necessary. "No I was just um.." She lost her train of thought once again when the girl placed her hand on Ricks arm and laughed out loud, throwing her head back and giggling at something that was obviously very amusing. It was either a sixth sense or simply a coincidence but at that exact moment, Rick twisted around just slightly, his eyes locking with Kate's.

She should look away, tear her gaze away from him and his table, not give him the satisfaction of knowing she was watching him and stupid girlfriend. _Oh god, was she jealous?_ Sheer willpower had her pulling her gaze away - straight into the face of Lanie who was trying her hardest not to laugh, a satisfied smirk on her face. "What?" Kate snapped, shoving a forkful of chicken into her mouth.

"Oh nothing," Lanie answered with a tone that suggested the exact opposite. "Just..you know, how's your determination to act like you don't want Rick Rodgers going?"

"Shut up, Lanie."

"I'm sorry, honey," Lanie replied. "It's just..I've never met anyone who quite clearly wants someone so bad but won't admit it!"

Kate ignored Lanie and looked back over to Rick's table. She almost laughed at what she saw, the guy obviously knew she was watching, his little glances back in her direction every few seconds clear evidence of that. And once he knew she was watching, he upped his game, paying more and more attention to the girl who was now almost sat in his lap, placing his hands on her for a few seconds longer than necessary, laughing a little louder than was normal. _Cocky, arrogant_..

"Jesus Christ, Kate, just go and sleep with the guy!"

"I..no..don't..you.."

"Oh come off it," Lanie sighed. "I don't care how much you protest that you don't want him, I think it's pretty obvious that you do. The two of you are ridiculous, but you more so. The guy has made it perfectly clear that he wants you and isn't used to being turned down, so now he's trying to make you jealous - which is quite clearly working, by the way - and let me tell you, he wouldn't be trying so hard if he really thought you weren't interested."

Maybe Lanie should ditch the idea of a medical examiner as a career and become a psychologist? She was right, one hundred percent, not that Kate was giving her the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Okay Lanie, if that's what you want to think," she replied, rolling her eyes to hide the fact that Lanie was spot on. "Now, I've gotta go, I wanna tell Jack that I'll go out with him before class starts. I'll see you tonight."

Lanie sighed as Kate left, watching as Rick's eyes followed her friend's retreating form. She quite clearly wanted him, so why the hell wouldn't she just admit it?

* * *

"Have I told you that you look amazing tonight?" Jack said as he and Kate made their way to the restaurant they were having dinner at.

_Yes_, Kate thought, _you have and really? Couldn't think of anything more original?_ "Thank you," she said, dipping her head. He was a nice guy but..just not right for her. How she could tell that when they'd known each other only a week she didn't know but somehow she did, it just didn't feel right. Her mom had told her when she was about sixteen, crying over a guy that paid her no attention, that she shouldn't force it, shouldn't have to make herself a different person to get on with a guy. When you knew it was right, you just knew and the same when it wasn't, it was just one of those things.

Nevertheless, she had been brought up to be polite and wouldn't ruin things now, they could have a nice dinner together and then she could tell him they weren't right for each other, she hoped they could still be friends though, they got on pretty well and his friends that she'd met in class seemed lovely too.

"Here we go," Jack said, interrupting her thoughts as they arrived at the restaurant. "It's this one."

"Oo, I love Italian!" At least she could have a nice meal tonight.

"Good," Jack smiled. "Let me just find out where our table is, back in a sec." Kate stayed near the door whilst her date headed over to the waitress nearby, asking about their reservation.

"Kate!" _Holy crap, please say that's not-_ "what a surprise to see you here! Are you with Lanie?" Rick asked, stopping in front of her and looking around for Lanie.

"Er no, I'm here with-"

"Right, our table is just over- oh, hi," Jack said as he returned. "Friend of yours, Kate?"

"Acquaintance," she muttered, not looking at either of the guys. To make things worse, Rick's 'date' arrived back from the bathroom - it was the girl he'd been flirting with in front of her the previous week. "Erm, Jack this is Rick..Rick this is Jack."

The two guys shook hands before Rick introduced the girl to his side. "This is Kyra," he smiled. "Are you two here for dinner?"

"They're in a restaurant at 8pm on a Friday night, Rick," Kyra simpered, "I think they're probably here on a date."

"Yes well, it was nice to see you..and nice to meet you Kyra but we have-"

"Why don't you join us?" Jack blurted out and Kate could have hit him. What the hell?

"Great idea!" Rick agreed, looking to Kyra who nodded happily. _Perfect_.

The four of them made their way to the table, Rick pulling aside a waitress and asking if they could make their two tables of two into one table of four. This was going to be the worst night ever, Kate was even contemplating feigning a headache or escaping out of the bathroom window or something..

Kyra and Jack quickly struck up a conversation, apparently they were taking one of the same classes, just that Kyra was in her third year and Jack in his first. However the two of them seemed to ignore their dates for the time being, leaving Kate and Rick to make their own conversation.

"Didn't think she was your type," Kate muttered, so as to not be heard by Jack and Krya.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rick asked quietly, a smirk on his face.

"Just you know..she's brunette, has her own boobs, has more than three brain cells. That sort of thing." She finished her statement with an innocent smile, plucking an olive from the bowl in the middle of the table and placing it on her tongue far more seductively than she really should have.

"You're brunette," he pointed out simply and Kate frowned at him in confusion before she got it. Ducking her head, she blushed and concentrated on eating her olive. God he was infuriating. She was saved for the time being as the waitress made an appearance, taking down their orders before disappearing off to the kitchen. Kate busied herself with sipping her drink, wondering if she could join in the conversation Jack and Kyra were still having.

"And your date?" Rick asked, leaning across the table towards her. "Definitely not your type."

"Excuse me," she shot back, "I'm not the one who spends every spare minute with bimbos attached to my arm! How on earth do you know he's not my type?" How could he say that when he'd never seen her with a guy before?!

"Why, Kate, have you been watching me?" He grinned, before checking that Kyra and Jack were still engrossed in conversation. "He's boring, predictable..the good guy that your parents would like but that's not you..you need excitement, someone who challenges you, keeps you on your toes.."

"I'm perfectly happy, thank you very much," she lied, desperate for him to not realise she wasn't being truthful.

"You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

Kate was spared having to hit him when Jack struck up conversation with him. "So Rick, Kyra tells me you're a writer!"

He was? That was news to Kate. "I am," Rick smiled. "I've finished my first book, actually, I've sent it to some publishers but you know..it's a ruthless industry and I'm not holding out too much hope, I'll get there one day."

"Oh you'll get published," Kyra reassured, "you're a brilliant writer!"

"Thank you," he told her, turning to face her with a smile.

Their food arrived and it was silent for a few minutes as they all tucked in. "I didn't know you were a writer," Kate told him honestly once Krya and Jack were wrapped up in conversation again. "You don't strike me as the writing type. What genre is it?"

"Careful, Kate, your 'I don't like him' façade is slipping," he grinned at her and she glared back at him. "Murder mystery," he admitted. "I've actually got a whole load of them rough drafted, just wanna see if I get anywhere with this one first before I write them up properly."

"Definitely never would have guessed," she laughed, taking a bite of her ravioli.

"There's a whole lot you don't know about me, Kate," he whispered with a playful glint in his eyes. "Guess you'll just have to get to know me better."

And as much as Kate wished she didn't, there was nothing she wanted more.

* * *

**twitter: holaitsjade**

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	4. I ain't afraid of no ghosts

**A/N: I hope you all got to read chapter three after the issues the site had the other day! Thank you for your reviews :)**

**And really, I couldn't believe it when I saw Halloween in '98 was on a Saturday, perfect ;)**

* * *

"I still can't believe you and Jack gave up after one date," Lanie said for what had to be the six hundredth and forty seventh time in the past three weeks.

"I _told_ you, Lanie, it just wouldn't have worked," Kate replied as she threw herself onto her bed. It was seven in the evening and a Saturday, no less - Halloween. She was supposed to be getting ready for the party but her enthusiasm for it had gone out the window three days ago and no matter how much Lanie tried to convince her it would be fun, Kate just couldn't bring herself to get excited about it.

"But how can you know it wouldn't have worked when you gave up after _one date_?" Lanie pressed.

"There just wasn't a connection, no sparks," Kate shrugged, her mind flashing back to the aftermath of that disastrous date - mainly for the fact that Rick Rodgers had barged his way in.

* * *

_"I uh..had a good time tonight," Jack smiled at her as they reached her dorm building, he had insisted on walking her back to her door, saying his mother would have his head if she knew he hadn't seen his date home. "I um.."_

_Kate was just going to have to say it, she couldn't lead him on, couldn't let him think they'd have more dates and have it lead somehwere, it wasn't fair and she'd been brought up better than that. "Mm, me too," she replied honestly. "But uh..oh god I'm sorry but I don't think it'll go anywhere." There, she'd said it, got it out in the open, the ball was in his court now._

_"Oh thank god," he breathed, surprising Kate. "I mean..I had a good time and I'm glad you did too but I agree, it wasn't.."_

_"Right," Kate said, knowing what he meant even though he couldn't find the words. "But we can be friends, right?"_

_"Definitely," Jack told her, "I'd like that. So..see you Monday?"_

_"See you Monday," she repeated._

_"Oh," Jack said, turning back towards her, "you said you and Rick weren't really friends, you just kinda knew each other?" Kate nodded, a slight frown on her face. "Well..from the way he was looking at you all night I don't think he'll be seeing Kyra again."_

_Kate blushed. God, it was one thing if they were having flirtatious conversations across the table but for her date to notice it? How obvious were they being?! "Oh..I um.."_

_"Just..be careful, okay?" Jack said. "I've heard about Rick Rodgers and his reputation, I don't want you to get hurt."_

_"Thank you," Kate smiled back, his concern was sweet. "But I can assure you that there is _nothing_ between me and Rick Rodgers, I'm not that stupid."_

_Jack shot her one last smile before heading back to his dorm, but Kate hadn't missed how he definitely hadn't looked convinced at her words._

* * *

"And you know," Kate said, "it was a mutual decision, it's not like I crushed his heart by telling him we weren't going anywhere. _And_ we're friends now - he's my date tonight, remember?"

"Uh huh," Lanie muttered. "And how much of your decision was based on your feelings for Rick?"

Kate rolled over onto her stomach and screamed into her pillow. "Lanie," she said through gritted teeth. "I do _not_ have feelings for Rick Rodgers!"

"Sweetie, listen to me," Lanie said, walking over to sit on Kate's bed. "This is me you're talking to, you know I won't breathe a word of what you say to anyone. And it's not good to keep everything inside, you need to talk about it."

"Lanie," Kate began diplomatically. "I will admit that he interests me, okay? He's..the typical bad boy that every girl loves." Lanie scoffed. "What, you never had a thing for bad boys?"

"No comment," Lanie muttered.

"Right. But I'm not an idiot, okay? Even I _was_ interested in him, I wouldn't go there, it's just not worth it because give him two weeks and he'd have replaced me with some other brainless tart. He's hot," she shrugged, "everyone can see that, but he's a complete and utter jackass. Sure, he can turn on the charm, use it to get whatever he wants and I'm sure it works the majority of the time but I'm not naïve enough to think I could be the one to tame the lion okay?" Every word that she had just said to Lanie was the truth, no matter how much he charmed and flirted his way towards her, he wasn't getting in her pants. Because that's all it would be, another conquest, another name in his little black book and Kate Beckett wasn't just a notch on anybody's bedpost.

"Okay," Lanie said after a minute. "I'll drop it, okay? You don't have the hots for writer boy." That was the name Lanie had given him once Kate had spilled the story of how Rick and Kyra had joined her and Jack on their date and it had stuck. "So, you gonna get your ass up and in the shower? We've got a party to go to."

"Ugh, I suppose so," Kate groaned, hauling herself up. "What time are we leaving?"

"8.30."

That gave Kate just over an hour to shower and get ready..it was a good job she wasn't one who took forever on their hair and make up.

* * *

"Wow, you look.._hot_," Lanie exclaimed when she saw Kate all dressed up and ready to go.

"Thanks," Kate grinned, she felt pretty damn good. She had chosen to dress as batwoman for the party, her outfit consisting of a tight black leather-look dress with a jagged hem, a yellow belt around her waist and the batman logo in the same yellow planted across her chest. She had black leather wrist coverings up to her elbows, complete with faux spikes, and a mask over her eyes. She completed the look with black leather knee high boots. Perfect. She'd left her long chestnut hair au natural, falling in soft waves around her shoulders and had highlighted her eyes in dark liner - even if she did say so herself she looked pretty good. "You look great too, Lanie."

"Thank you," Lanie smirked. She had chosen to dress as an evil queen, a floor length, skin tight black and purple dress was smoothed over her body, accentuating her curves perfectly. There was a slit on one side from the floor to the top of Lanie's thigh, showing off her sky high dark purple heels. They both looked awesome.

Kate was about to check the time when there was a knock at the door. "Hey guys," she grinned as she opened it to find Jack and Elliot, their dates, waiting for them. "We ready to go?"

The four of them made their way to the party, Kate feeling much more in the mood now that she was dressed up and they were on their way. It was sure to be the biggest party in a long time, the whole campus was expected to turn up and it was all anyone could talk about for weeks now. When they arrived at the door, they handed their tickets over and made their way in. The entrance was a side door, leading into a long, dark corridor, a few floor lights placed at regular intervals, giving them just enough light to be able to see where they were going.

The four of them had arrived between other party goers, leaving them alone in the corridor. It was dark and narrow and once their eyes adjusted to the light, they could just about make out fake cobwebs and spiders on the walls. When they were about halfway down, a fake dead corpse darted out in front of them, causing the four of them to jump back in shock, before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"C'mon, let's keep going," Kate pressed but the others were reluctant, worried about what else might be waiting for them.

"You go," Lanie said, "we'll follow behind. You never know there could be ghosts up there!"

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts," Kate grinned, beginning to make her way forwards.

"Ooo, a ghostbusters reference - I like it!" Rick. Was he stalking her or something? How did he keep ending up in the same place as her at precisely the same bloody time?!

She heard Lanie, Jack and Eliot say hi to Rick and Kyra, who seemed to be his date for the evening, but Kate remained silent. In the three weeks since their 'double date', Rick had seemed to leave Kate alone for the most part, simply stopping to say hi if he saw her around campus or in the cafeteria or library, but nothing more than that and Kate knew she should feel grateful but..she had the admit the attention had been kind of nice, even if it wasn't always wanted.

Finally they made it to the actual party, squinting their eyes as they readjusted to the light, entering the large hall the party was being hosted in. The place looked amazing, more cobwebs and fake spiders and bats hung on the walls, pumpkins dotted about the room with candles lighting them up. The punch was a concoction that had clearly been made to look like blood, placed in the centre of a table at the back of the room.

Now it was time to party.

* * *

Three hours later and Kate was having a well deserved rest. Since they'd arrived, she had been dancing non stop with Lanie, Jack and Elliot, as well as some of their other friends and now she needed to sit down for five minutes and recharge her batteries.

"Hey," came a voice from next to her. Spinning around, Kate saw that it was Kyra.

"Uh..hi," Kate replied, a little confused as to why Kyra was here talking to her. "Are you enjoying the party?" Kate asked, her gaze heading back out to the crowd, watching as people danced and had fun.

"Yeah, it's great," Kyra replied. "He's not worth it, you know," she added in a quieter voice and Kate frowned, but remained quiet. "I can see you looking at him and it's probably not even intentional, he just has that effect on people." And as the words sunk in, Kate realised she was indeed staring at Rick, whilst his girlfriend was sat right next to her, no less. The man in question was currently surrounded by at least five other girls, every one of them dressed as a bunny - the word predictable came to mind - but Kate's attention was firmly attached to Rick and Kyra was right, she hadn't even noticed she was staring at him.

"I uh..I mean.."

"Don't worry about it," Kyra smiled, "I didn't come over here to pick a fight."

"But you and Rick..aren't you.."

"Together? No," Kyra answered emphatically, completely shocking Kate. Apparently she hadn't kept her shock very well hidden, either. "We were, a few years ago, when we were both freshman. It lasted six months and it was great but then Rick realised he had the attention of pretty much every straight girl in this place." Kate listened to Kyra talk, sensing the girl needed to speak about this with someone. "He was great to me..and even when all the girls started paying him attention he never once cheated on me." Kate must have let her expression be seen again. "Oh I know what you're thinking, 'stupid girl, of course he cheated on you' but he didn't."

"Oh no, I erm.." In all honesty, Kate had been wondering. When Kyra had said they were together for six months she had been a little surprised, she couldn't imagine a Rick Rodgers who could keep it in his pants and only be with one girl for half a year, he seemed to struggle with half a week at the moment.

"It's fine," Kyra smiled, "if I didn't know him so well or if I was in your position then I'd think the same. He might be a womaniser and a playboy and have a different girl every week but the guy has a heart of gold, I know, one hundred percent that he would never, ever cheat on someone he was in a relationship with, no matter what temptations ended up in his lap, it's just not who he is."

Something had Kate believing Kyra, despite everything she'd seen and learnt about Rick. "So you're not together but you're..still pretty close?"

"Yeah," Kyra nodded. "It wasn't a messy break up or anything and I was upset when it ended but it was for the best, we could have stayed together and tried to make it work but we were 19, there was no point in being miserable over it. But we stayed friends and now we couldn't be closer."

Kate was a little shocked at this new information, she had honestly thought Kyra was just another of his groupies, despite quite clearly not being the usual type. "So um..if you're not dating, why are you telling me he isn't worth it?"

"I like you, Kate," she answered simply. "Of all the girls that have caught Rick's attention - and trust me, there's been a lot, - you're normal. You're pretty and smart and exactly the kind of girl a guy would be proud to take home to his parents and Rick..well, I love him to pieces but he'll break your heart. Don't get me wrong, he's the nicest, sweetest, most caring person you could ever meet but he doesn't do relationships and with the other girls..well I don't really care, they don't have two brain cells to rub together and they're only after one thing but I get the feeling you're not like that.."

"No, I'm not," Kate replied. "I'll be honest, I haven't really seen much of the sweet and caring person yet but I'm starting to think it's more of an act, that he doesn't want people to know he's actually a nice person." It had been playing on her mind for a few days, how he could go from holding the door open for someone or helping another student who had dropped their books to a flirtatious playboy in ten seconds flat. There was more to Rick Rodgers than met the eye, his revelation about his writing had proved that, but it was the cocky, arrogant side of him that stopped her wanting to get to know him better.

"Yeah," Kyra smiled sadly. "It's a shame because when I first met him he was nothing like he is now. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing because my best friend is still in there and I still get to see him but I just wish everyone else saw that side too." Kyra took a deep breath and continued. "Look, Kate, I'm not telling you to stay away from him because you're an adult and I'm not his girlfriend but please, don't just become another one of a Rick Rodgers' conquests, you're better than that, than them. He's changed a little since he met you, I think when he realised you weren't going to fall at his feet and drop your panties the second he shot you that smile..you challenge him and make him want more, without you even giving him anything if that makes sense. And yeah, it's kinda selfish of me because when he's thinking about how to impress you I see more and more glimpses of my best friend and it makes me realise how much I miss him sometimes."

"I can assure you that I have no intention of jumping into bed with him," Kate promised.

"Good," Kyra replied. "Because I've got a feeling you're the one he's been looking for and giving him what he wants would just ruin everything... Well, I should probably go and interrupt his little party, pretend to be jealous or something," she said with a laugh. "It was nice talking to you Kate, maybe we could get coffee sometime."

"Yeah, that would be nice," Kate smiled as Kyra left. Now that she hadn't been expecting. Not only was Kyra a lot nicer than Kate had first realised, it was obvious she only had Rick's best interests at heart and it was sweet. Kate would keep her promise, she wasn't sleeping with him or letting him think he'd got her right where he wanted her...but maybe she could try and get that sweet and caring side that Kyra had mentioned to come out a little more often..

* * *

**A/N: if you were interested, a picture of the outfit I put Kate it can be found on my twitter :) this was meant to be longer but it's getting late where I am and I really wanted to update this weekend so the chapter had to be split!**

**twitter: holaitsjade**

**tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	5. Me and my heart we got issues

**A/N: sometimes I wonder if people realise how much time and effort goes into these stories before they leave reviews saying 'this is stupid'.. Thank you to the majority of you, you were all very sweet :)**

**Teeny tiny bit of angst in this chapter, just in case it's a deal breaker.**

* * *

Walking into the library that Wednesday morning, Rick couldn't help but grin when he saw Kate in there too - sat at a table on her own, no less - despite the foul mood he was in. It was barely 9am and this day couldn't possibly get any worse already. However there was something about Kate Beckett that made him forget the rest of his troubles and plant a smile on his face, immediately adopting the bad boy persona he had made so popular over the past few years.

"Morning beautiful," he grinned, joining her at her otherwise empty table. He loved the little eye roll she did when she was acting like she was annoyed at him, made him wonder what else he could do to make her eyes roll..

"What do you want?" She asked bluntly, tossing her pen down on the table.

"Well it's not your personality," he muttered but he was only teasing, he knew she was a nice person really, it was just him she had an aversion to..which really needed to change sometime soon. "What, so a guy can't sit with his friend in the library now?"

"We aren't friends," she pointed out.

"Oo, did we become something more and you forgot to tell me?" He joked hopefully, laughing at the glare she gave him. "I'm joking," he added hastily, before she picked her pen back up and stabbed him with it or something. "Has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?" He blurted out before his brain could comprehend how incredibly cliche it was. It was the truth though, her eyes were gorgeous, hazel, but with extra flecks of green as she tilted her head towards the light. He was wondering what colour they went when she got turned on..

"Can't come up with anything better, writer boy?" She shot back, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Writer boy?" He repeated incredulously. "You gave me a nickname?" Her cheeks flushed and he heard her mutter something that sounded like "Lanie did." Aha, so she'd been talking about him, had she? "Oh really?" He grinned. "And what else did _Lanie_ say about me?"

"That you're a pompous jackass and you should leave Kate alone to finish her work in peace - oh wait, it wasn't Lanie that said that it was me."

"Oo, someone's a little fiery this morning," he noted. He was winding her up, he could tell, but he prided himself on knowing when enough was enough and right now...it wasn't enough. "What's the matter, your boyfriend not _satisfying_ you? You know, I did warn you on our double date that he wouldn't be enough for you.."

"Jack isn't my boyfriend," she ground out before sighing as she realised she'd just walked straight into his trap.

"Oh so you're single?" He asked, but she didn't answer. He took it as an affirmative anyway. "So that means you and I can go out this Friday then?"

"I'm single, Rick, not deluded."

"You're a little spitfire aren't you?! Makes me wonder what you'd be like in bed..I bet you're a-"

"Rick!" She hissed, looking around to make sure no one had overheard their conversation. The last thing she wanted was the campus thinking she'd been stupid enough to fall for Rick Rodgers' charms.

"What's the matter Kate?" He grinned. "Worried you might like it?" Oh she'd like it alright, he'd have her begging and moaning in minutes, wondering why on earth she'd fought this for so long. She was totally a hellcat in the bedroom, and the mere thought of having her pinned beneath him in his bed was enough to drive him insane.

"You're so full of yourself!" She spat out. "Go and find somebody else to harass!"

"But I don't want anybody else, I want you," he replied simply and Kate would be damned before she let him know that those simple words had stirred something low inside her, his ego definitely didn't need anymore stroking.

"I've made it perfectly obvious that I'm not interested," she said, keeping her voice as even and as calm as possible. "So why are you still hanging around? I'm sure there's plenty of other girls around here who would kill for some attention from you."

"Liar."

"Excuse me?!"

"You said, and I quote: "I've made it perfectly obvious that I'm not interested." You're lying and we both know it." He leaned in a little closer, resting his chin on his hand until their faces were mere inches apart. "You want me," he said cockily. "But for some reason you're a little reluctant to admit it. I don't know why..I mean I'm irresitable."

Kate had to laugh at that, she'd never met somebody so in love with themselves in her life. "You know, I'm wondering how you and your ego manage to fit through doors on a day to day basis," she mused.

"Trust me, it's not the size of my ego you should be thinking about," he replied with a pointed look.

Oh my god he so did not go there.. "You're incorrigible."

"And you want me."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"What are we, five?"

"Give me a night and I'll prove to you that I'm all man, sweetheart."

"I think I'll pass," she replied politely. "Besides, I know that's not really you."

"What?" Oh she had him now, had managed to throw him off and confuse him a little bit. Ha.

"You might come across as an arrogant, self absorbed, egotistical jackass but I can tell it's all an act. And if Kyra is to be believed then in behind all the bullshit is a really great guy."

"I..can..no..what..you talked to Kyra?" He got out eventually.

Kate nodded. "The other night, at the Halloween party. It was very enlightening, I learnt an awful lot about you, mr heart of gold."

No no no, this wasn't happening, nobody except Krya got to see the real him, it was his only defence against protecting himself, it only hurt too much if he let people see the other side of Rick Rodgers. "I don't know what Kyra told you, but she's wrong."

"She's not," Kate insisted, "and I'd started to realise it before I spoke with Kyra. I've seen you, holding open doors for people you wouldn't normally look twice at, helping people pick up their things as they drop them on the floor..you, Rick Rodgers, are a great big softy." Kate was impressed at how well she'd drawn him in and the panicked look on his face when he realised she'd got him figured out.

"You don't know me," he snapped, abruptly pushing his chair away from the table and standing up. "You don't know me at all. You know what, I'll admit it - all this was was me trying to get into your pants because let's face it, you're fucking hot. But that's all it was, a bit of fun and if you aren't going to put out then I'm done."

And before Kate could comprehend what was going on, Rick had stormed away from her and was out the doors in five seconds flat. It wasn't until her breathing had returned to normal that she noticed he'd dropped a piece of paper on his way out. Picking it up, she flattened it onto the table and began to read.

_Dear Mr Castle,_

_We thank you for the manuscript you sent of your currently unpublished novel, however at this time I regret to inform you that it doesn't have what we're looking for._

_I wish you well in finding a suitable publisher,_

_A. Harper._

Castle? Either this wasn't his or he was changing his name for his writing. It explained the foul mood he was in when she'd first spotted him though. Kate actually sort of felt sorry for him but still, it didn't excuse what he'd said. The thing was, she knew he didn't meant it and that she'd just pressed one button too many and he'd snapped. She knew he wasn't like that, yeah, he used girls as conquests and probably bragged about his latest lay in the locker room to the guys after baseball practice but from what she'd figured out herself and what Kyra had told her, he'd never say something like that to a girl and actually mean it, there was a gentleman in there somehwere.

Still, he had said it and she wouldn't deny that she was angry and upset at his words - it wasn't the first time she'd been told to put out or get out and she highly doubted it would be the last - guys tended to think they had the right to sex from her whenever they wanted but she wasn't easy, wasn't going to open her legs for just anyone and Rick Rodgers was no exception. Something told her he'd be apologising soon though, once he'd calmed down and cooled off, maybe spoken to Kyra. But until then, she had a class to get to.

* * *

He was an idiot. A stupid, pathetic idiot. What had possessed him to say something so damn crude? He wasn't exactly a prude but never in his life had he openly admitted to a girl that all he wanted was to get in her pants and _dammit_ this was the one girl that he wanted more from and he'd ruined it. He had a hard enough time getting her to speak to him without rolling her eyes and insulting him as it was, now he'd be lucky if she even stayed in the same room as him. And all because she'd figured him out, realised the girls and the parties and the flirting was all an act and that really, he was actually a nice guy.

He shouldn't have gone over there in the first place, not in the mood he'd been in after receiving yet another rejection letter from a publishing company, but the cocky playboy had won and he'd ridiculously thought he could win her over. Fool. Kate Beckett was not someone who could be 'won over' just like that, he'd have to work for it and make her see that he was worth it. Fat chance of that ever happening now...god, he could still see the flicker of hurt in her eyes as he'd spat the words at her..she didn't deserve that, she deserved the world and he wanted to be the one to give it to her..

But she'd gotten in too far, wormed her way in and worked out who he really was and he'd pushed her away, despite the fact that he might have a chance with the girl of his dreams if he just opened up to her, showed her that there was more to him than met the eye. He regretted saying it so much, and if he had a time machine he'd go back and never say the words to her but he couldn't change it now and he just had to hope that a sincere apology would work in his favour, because all he really wanted was to make her his, no matter how hard he had to fight for her.

* * *

**A/N: I apologise that this is a short chapter but I'm kinda feeling like this is all crap and I had a bit of trouble getting this chapter to come out. Thoughts appreciated on your view of it :)**

**twitter: holaitsjade**

**tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	6. A better me

**The A. Harper thing? Totally unintentional. But as many of you pointed out, it is indeed Castles daughters initials - but I didn't realise when I wrote it!**

**You guys literally BLEW ME AWAY with all of your amazing reviews on the previous chapter, thank you so much!**

* * *

"Oh there you are!" Lanie exclaimed as she came waltzing into their room. "Girl, I've been looking for you everywhere, I was about to send out a damn search party!"

"No need for a search party, Lanie, I'm right here," Kate replied with a laugh. "Just didn't feel much like socialising this evening, that's all." After her run in with Rick earlier in the day, she'd skipped lunch and come straight up to their room once her classes were over, the last thing she wanted was to have to pretend she was interested in what anybody had to say.

"What's up?" Lanie asked, immediately on alert. "Wait, I saw writer boy earlier looking like someone had stolen his puppy, wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it?"

"No, Lanie, I haven't been stealing any puppies."

"Oh haha, very funny," Lanie replied sarcastically. "You know what I meant Katherine Beckett! And in fact, your avoidance of the subject speaks volumes. So come on, what happened between you and Rick?"

"Nothing," Kate said, not quite meeting Lanie's eye.

"Uh huh, and I'm the next president of the United States," Lanie returned, not believing her friend for a second. "So spill, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened between you and that boyfriend of yours."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Kate exclaimed, defences rising immediately. "All he is, is an egotistical bastard who..who.." God, it was no use. She knew he wasn't really like that and she couldn't even pretend for Lanie's sake. "He screwed up, okay? Maybe I pushed too far but he was a jackass."

"Oh honey," Lanie said, joining Kate on her bed and wrapping her arms around her friend. "Wow, he must have really screwed up if he's actually managed to upset you! What did he say?"

Taking a deep breath, Kate began the story of what had happened earlier that day. She knew she could trust Lanie not to say anything and she probably needed to talk to someone about it anyway, see if she was overreacting or not. "He was just his usual self at first, you know, flirting with me and being annoying, but then I told him I'd spoken with Kyra and that I knew he wasn't really this playboy womaniser, that underneath I could tell he was actually a nice guy and the act was just for the girls."

"And he didn't take it too well?" Lanie prompted when Kate fell silent.

"No," Kate said, "he didn't. He snapped, said I didn't know him and that all he'd been doing was trying to get into my pants but obviously i wasn't putting out so he was done."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kate muttered. "But..god, would it be ridiculous of me if I said I knew he didn't really mean it?"

"A little," Lanie laughed. "Kate, the guy just said the only reason he's been paying you any attention is because he wants to sleep with you and you're letting him get away with it?"

"Oh no, definitely not," Kate reassured. "He'll have to come up with some damn good excuse and an even better apology if he ever wants to speak to me again but..I started it, I pressed him to talk about the real him and obviously there's a reason he puts on this act and let's face it, we hardly know each other, we're not exactly at the stage of telling our deepest secrets, so I can't really expect him to tell me but.."

"Look Kate, I know you're determined not to admit that you feel anything for this guy but I think it's pretty obvious now that you do.."

"I don't know, Lanie," Kate replied honestly. "I _know_ that underneath all the bullshit is the guy that became Kyra's best friend and yet..I'm not sure I can see past all the crap, not when he constantly flaunts it in my face."

"Well you know I'm always here if you wanna talk, right?"

"Thanks Lanie, I don't know what I'd do without you," Kate smiled, wrapping her best friend in a fierce hug. "I uh..think I figured out why he was so tetchy today though.." Drawing away from the embrace, Kate dug through her bag for the piece of paper she'd thrown in there earlier, passing it to Lanie for her to read.

"Ah..yeah, I guess this could be a reason why..does he know you have this?"

"I don't know," Kate shrugged. "He dropped it when he fled from the library earlier, I guess he might just think he dropped it anywhere..did you notice the name though?"

"Mm," Lanie hummed. "That's interesting, you think he's changing it for his book?"

"There's not going to _be_ a book by the looks of this."

"Oh come on, Kate, it's _one_ rejection letter, I bet there's dozens of other companies that are willing to take him on. Why do you care so much about him getting his book published anyway?"

"I don't know," Kate shrugged. "I guess it just..he doesn't seem like the kinda guy to be so serious about something, you know? He's all carefree and flighty and knowing he's actually dead set on getting this book published and making a name for himself..well it's just more of the other side to Rick Rodgers, the kind I actually want to get to know."

"Boy have you got it bad!"

"Shut up, Lanie," Kate warned.

"But-"

"Nuh uh, I don't want to hear it," Kate insisted. "So let's forget about Rick Rodgers and you can tell me how your day has been."

* * *

"Thought I might find you in here," a voice said, pulling Kate out of her own little world. "Can I sit down?"

Honestly Kate wasn't sure what she should answer to that. One one hand, she wanted to see what Rick had to say for himself, to see if he was going to apologise and admit that she was right. However there was still a small part of her that wanted to tell him where to stick it and walk out of the coffee shop. "If you want," she decided finally, her voice showing no interest in the fact that he was here.

"Thanks. I got you a coffee.." He handed the cup over to her and she eyed it suspiciously. "It's just a coffee," he laughed. "It comes with the biggest apology I have ever given anyone in my life. Kate, I am so sorry for what I said to you in the library yesterday. It was rude and unkind of me to say."

"'K." Was all Kate said before taking a sip of her coffee. _Holy-_ how did he know what to order for her?!

"I remembered from the other week," he admitted, reading her expression like a book. "Our double date? I remember Kyra asking how you two had got talking and Jack said it was over coffee, a grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla, to be precise."

"I uh..thanks," Kate replied, clearly impressed with his seemingly great memory, at least when it came to her coffee order, anyway.

Seeing he wasn't going to get any more out of her - which he had anticipated - Rick decided instead that he should try and explain to Kate why he'd acted the way he did, she deserved an explanation at the very least, even if she still didn't want anything to do with him after that. "I didn't mean it. I never intended to be to rude and hurtful towards you, make you out to be some girl I was just talking to for one thing and get shitty when you didn't give it up. The thing is...you were right, I'm not like that. I know 99.9% of the people around here, that think they know me, portray me to be the womanising playboy of the campus but you've got me figured out."

Kate nodded, silently giving him permission to continue. She had to admit, it was nice to hear him say that she had been right.

"I could blame it all on Kyra, make it her fault that you've discovered the real me but I don't think it's all her fault, she just confirmed what you'd already figured out." He paused for a moment, taking a sip of his own coffee. "You're damn smart, I'll give you that," he laughed, "in three years no one has ever figured out that it's all an act, at least not that I know of anyway. I wasn't always like this and I think Kyra told you that much, that when her and I first met, I was just Ricky Rodgers, finally at college after years and years of being pushed from school to school, I could finally settle in somehwere, knowing I would be here for a few years, actually make some proper friends and not have to worry that as soon as I got kicked out or moved somewhere else, they'd forget I even existed."

There was more to that story and one day Kate wanted to know it but today wasn't that day, he still had some making up to do.

"And then I realised that girls were attracted to me," he continued. "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't exactly an innocent choirboy when I first got here, there were girls at high school but here it was different..maybe it's being away from home and being able to have fun without worrying about rules as much or whatever, but something changed. And yeah, the girls were great at first, but I soon realised that they didn't want the nerdy, geeky version of me, they wanted someone who could charm them and tell them what they wanted to hear. And so I adopted that personality and to this day it's stuck, I've never been able to get rid of it."

Yeah, like he'd even tried to.

"And then there was you. God, I got so used to girls falling at my feet and doing damn near anything to get my attention that I'd forgotten what it was like to want a girl who didn't want me. I'll admit, it was a little frustrating, having to actually work to get the girl - not that it was any use, you were so determined not to even give me the time of day! And then yesterday, I saw you in the library and my cocky, arrogant side won out and I tried again. But the thing is, I was in a pretty crappy mood yesterday and when you revealed what you'd figured out, I snapped and took it all out on you and for that, I am so, very sorry."

"Would your bad mood happen to have anything to do with _this_," Kate asked, pulling out the letter he'd dropped in the library yesterday.

"I wondered where I'd lost that," Rick smiled sadly. "Not that I really need it, I have like 14 more to join it."

"God, Rick, I'm sorry," Kate said. "I wouldn't have brought it up if I'd known."

"Don't worry about it. In fact, I'm kinda glad it was you who found it and not somebody else, at least I know you're not going to rub it in my face and make me a laughing stock. God knows it's all I deserve from you though," he added.

"And that's what all of this boils down to, isn't it? You're worried that people won't like the real you, that they won't find you interesting or funny or attractive and-" _shit_.

"Oh, so you find me attractive, do you?" He said with a grin, noticing her slip up immediately.

"Don't let it go to your head, jackass," she replied, hitting him playfully on the arm. "I'm trying to be serious here!"

"Sorry," he said, composing himself. "Go on."

"This..this persona that you've adopted is like your safety net, you know that if you show people that side of you, they're going to love you and fall over themselves to make you happy and these rejection letters are just proof that even you don't get everything you want, no matter what people think."

"I think the fact that we're sitting in a crowded coffee shop and not making out somewhere in private is proof that I don't always get what I want," he answered drily and she hit him again. "Sorry, sorry," he added quickly. "God, you hit hard for a-" he broke off at her warning look. "A um..skinny person?"

"Nice save," she muttered sarcastically.

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "But um yeah...I guess you're right, I've built up this whole world around me and taking out one brick would have a domino effect. If one person found out that I'm a writer and yet I have about 15 rejection letters from publishing companies then the rest would fall and I'd be back to the geeky, nerdy guy that no one wants to be friends with."

"Kyra would be there for you."

"She would," Rick nodded. "I don't doubt that but I can't rely on her to keep me happy 24/7, she has a life."

"I'll read your manuscript for you if you want," she blurted out before really having a chance to think about what she'd just offered him. "I um mean..you know, if you're looking for help or..you know what, I'm sure you're fine.."

She was cute when she babbled and the slight blush appearing on her cheeks was damn adorable. "You really want to read it?" He asked, trying - and failing - to keep the shock out of his voice.

"Why not," Kate shrugged. "And you know, I'm not an English major or anything but I'm not stupid, maybe I can provide something you can't see reading your own work."

"I um...well thank you, that would be great but uh..you reckon we can keep it between us? You know, I don't want the whole campus knowing about it until - if - I ever get it published.."

"Sure," Kate smiled, wondering what on earth had just happened.

"So er..where does this leave us?" Rick asked.

Now wasn't that the million dollar question. Some may call her an idiot but Kate had forgiven him for what he'd said. The guy quite clearly hardly had to apologise for anything so the sincere one he'd given her and been enough for her to know that he meant it. Add to that the fact that it wasn't just one rejection letter he'd received, it was one on a pile of many, his bad temper yesterday was pretty much justified. And besides..he already knew she wasn't going to sleep with him so why couldn't they just be friends? Why couldn't she have a shot at getting the real Rick Rodgers to come out?

"Well umm...it's not like we were really friends before," Kate began. "Cause you know, you were just trying to get into my pants."

Rick looked at her, eyes wide with horror until he saw that she was joking. "Haha very funny, never gonna let me forget that one, are you?"

"Nope," Kate grinned.

"You know," he said, now that they were on more comfortable ground. "It wasn't exactly a lie..cause a guy would have to be blind or gay not to want in your pants but," he took a dramatic pause, "I think I can restrain myself from trying it on if we can be friends."

"I think there was a compliment in there somehwere," she mumbled.

"Oh there was," he replied confidently. "You're gorgeous. And smart. And funny. And that ass-"

"Is about to walk right out of this coffee shop and never talk to you ever again," she warned.

"Got it," he replied. "Don't tell the girl she has a nice ass. I'll remember that one."

"Rick," she half growled and he laughed.

"I'm sorry, you're just so easy!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"To wind up!" He added hastily. "Oh god, of course that's what I meant, cause you know how much crap I got into the last time I suggested-"

"Rick," she half shouted. "Stop talking."

"I wanted you from the first moment I saw you," he admitted, quite clearly ignoring her previous demand. "And yeah, I'll admit that at that party that night, I was just thinking with my dick, imagining how incredible a night with you would be." Kate rolled her eyes and he leaned in closer. "Oh don't even think about denying it," he whispered, "you know as well as I do that you and I would be _electric_."

Kate backed away, desperate to hide that she was affected by his words.

"But then I spoke to you and seriously? Your line about not looking like a Kate but did you really look like an idiot? Loved it. And from that moment I knew I wouldn't forget you, not ever. And I will admit, it hadn't been as easy as usual, I quickly learnt that you're not the kind of girl I usually _date_."

"Thank goodness," she muttered.

"Yes okay, I may have made some bad choices but still, you learn from your mistakes, right?" He paused for a moment before continuing, his tone taking a more serious note. "So it didn't take me long to realise that you're not my usual type but I didn't care, I wanted you and I'd be damned if I let anyone else get anywhere near you. Jack was okay cause I think it was pretty obvious that was never going anywhere," Kate rolled her eyes. They might be friends now but he was still a jackass. "And I realised that I want to be the guy you want, Kate. I want to be the one you call at three am because you're worrying over finals. I want to be the one to take you out to dinner and a movie. All of it. And I know I have a lot of work to do before you even think about letting me in but I promise you, I'm going to try my hardest to show you that I can be the guy you need."

And damn him for making her believe every word. She was screwed.

* * *

**twitter: holaitsjade**

**tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	7. All alone

November passed quickly and before Kate knew it, it was almost time to fly back to New York for thanksgiving break. She was looking forward to it, excited to see her parents for the first time since they'd dropped her off, and especially to the cold, New York weather - it just wasn't the same in California, she longed for the snow and the brisk winds that she could only find at home, it was going to be a great week. Classes were finishing on the Friday before thanksgiving, and Kate had a flight for the Saturday returning the following Saturday - a whole week at home!

Lanie was heading back to New York too, to spend the holiday with her family, and the two girls had already made plans to introduce their families for some Black Friday shopping - a tradition for both which they would be combining this year.

A few days after their new found friendship had been formed, Kate had learnt that Rick too was from New York, but she hadn't spoken to him about his holiday plans yet. However she was hoping they could meet up and go ice skating or for a walk around Central Park whilst they were home, it would be nice to have the opportunity to spend time with him away from college and the girls.

The two of them had made steady progress over the past few weeks, establishing what was fast becoming a very strong friendship. Surprisingly, they had lots in common and always had plenty to talk about when they got together, be it for a study session in the library or coffee at their favourite coffee shop. However it wasn't without it's trials and tribulations - the moment she had stepped into the crowded cafeteria with him one day, she could tell everyone was just thinking that she was the next in a long line of girls and he'd be rid if her within a month. They ignored it and brushed off snide remarks and nosy questions, but Kate had to admit it was a little disconcerting.

Rick had apologised, saying that had never happened before..but Kate wasn't his usual type and it seemed the rest of campus had realised that - whilst simultaneously wondering how on earth he managed to get such a smart girl to give in to him.

Aside from that, things were going well and Kate was happy that she'd given him the chance to prove himself to her.

* * *

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Rick exclaimed, bustling into the coffee shop and dumping his bag on the floor as he took the seat opposite Kate. "I got held behind in class and then Kyra needed to talk to me and..anyway, I'm here now, how are you?"

"Great," Kate smiled. It was the Tuesday before the week long break, just a few more days to get through until she could spend some much needed time at home. "My classes are done for the day today so I think I'm just gonna have a lazy afternoon." These coffee meetings had become a regular occurrence in the last few weeks, the two meeting practically every other day to catch up and consume their favourite beverage together. "I have a question," Kate said, she had finished Castle's manuscript the previous night and she'd get around to talking to him about that in a minute but now she wanted to know why he was changing his name to Castle.

"Uh uh uh, me first," he grinned.

"What happened to ladies first?" Kate asked.

"It went out the window when you conveniently forgot to tell me that today is your birthday."

_Shit_.

"I uh.." Kate didn't really know why she hadn't told him. She also didn't know how he'd found out. She wasn't really big on birthdays, sure, her parents had sent her a card and a few presents in the post, and Lanie had got her a gift which she'd given to Kate earlier that morning and she appreciated it, but Kate wasn't one of those people that needed everyone to know it was her birthday and be the centre of attention.

"So," Rick continued. "Imagine my surprise when Lanie asked me if the two of us had plans for your birthday this Tuesday. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's just a birthday, Rick, no big deal. Besides, I'm only 19, it's not a special one or anything."

"Only 19?" He repeated incredulously. "Kate, it's your last year of being a teenager. Your last chance to screw up and blame it on teenage hormones or whatever. No, I'm not taking 'it's just a birthday' as an excuse, we're celebrating this properly."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Kate sighed. She really wasn't bothered about her birthday but Rick was the kinda guy who wasn't going to take no for an answer so she really didn't have much choice except to go along with whatever plan he was cooking up.

"You'll see," he grinned mischievously. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now. So, what did you want to ask?"

"Seriously, you're not going to tell me?" He shook his head. "Fine. What I wanted to ask was why Castle? I noted it from the letter I saw and then again on your manuscript..I was just wondering why you're publishing under a different name."

"You've read my manuscript?" Kate nodded. "What did you think of it?"

"Nuh uh, writer boy, tell me about the name and then I'll tell you what I thought of it."

"You drive a hard bargain, woman," he mumbled. "Okay fine, I was thinking that if I ever get published, I want it to be under a different name, I don't want my past associated with the success I hope to have in the future. I think I'm even going to change my name legally."

"To Richard Castle?"

"I was thinking Richard Edgar Castle, for Edgar Allen Poe."

"Full of surprises you are," Kate said. Everyday he managed to shock her, she had a feeling she'd never know all of Rick Rodgers/Castle.

"Does this mean you'll tell me what you think of my manuscript now?" He asked.

"Sure," Kate shrugged. "I'll be honest, I kinda forgot about it, had a bunch of assignments due and I just left it in my drawer. But then I saw it over the weekend and I finished it yesterday."

"That quick? I'm hoping that's a good thing?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I loved it, Rick. It's clever and witty and well thought out..it's going to be a bestseller."

"Seriously?" He grinned, daring to hope that she had actually enjoyed it.

"Yup. It was brilliant. And one day soon, an editor is going to read all of it and not just brush it off when they don't like the first couple of pages and when that day comes, you're going to get it published and it'll fly off the shelves."

"Wow, quite the compliment, Ms Beckett," he smirked. "You don't have to be nice on my account you know, I'm a _big boy_, I can take it."

She rolled her eyes at that, not missing his double entendre. "I'm sure," she muttered drily. "But no, I meant it. Those publishers who have rejected it are idiots, and yes, I may be a little biased because you're my friend but even an idiot could tell that you're talented at it."

"Thank you, Kate," he replied quietly. "Coming from you...that really means a lot." It was true, he'd screwed up with her so bad that he deserved for her to hate him but instead they were sat here over coffee discussing her opinions on his first book.

"And uh..I hope you don't mind but I um, made some comments.." She pulled the manuscript he'd given her out of her bag and handed it over to him. "Obviously you can ignore everything I've said but I couldn't help myself. It's the first time I've ever read something before it was published and I couldn't resist the opportunity to suggest some ideas and what not.."

Rick flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning what she'd added. Just little comments, about the characters or questions she had surrounding certain aspects but to him it was perfect. "Thank you," he whispered. "This is..amazing."

"You're welcome," she mumbled, cheeks flaming. "So does this mean you're going to tell me what you have planned for my birthday?"

"Ha, good try," he grinned. "But no, you'll just have to wait and see. However, I did get a sneak peek at your timetable the other day so I already knew your classes finished early on Tuesdays, which is why you and I are going out for lunch."

"You don't have to-"

"Oh spare me that crap," Rick dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I want to treat you and spoil you, it's your birthday and you're my friend, okay? So drink up, we have reservations at one."

Surprisingly, Kate was actually flattered that he'd done this for her. Ever since they'd become proper friends, he still flirted with the girls but she'd learned to accept that as part of who he was and luckily for her, most of the time she got to see the guy that Kyra knew, the Rick Rodgers that could quite easily sweep her off her feet.

* * *

Lunch with Rick went great and Kate realised how lucky she was to have such an amazing friend in him. It might have taken her a month or two to realise it but he really was a great guy.

"Do you want dessert?" Rick asked as their plates were carried away by the friendly waitress.

"Umm.." In all honesty had been eying the chocolate fudge cake on the menu but she was quite full and her parents had always taught her to stop eating when she'd had enough, as long as she had eaten a decent amount and it was something that had stayed with her as she grew up and became more conscious of what she was eating. With the giant plate of extraordinary pasta she'd just put away she'd need to do an extra hour of running tomorrow as it was, never mind with dessert too.

"Have the dessert, Kate," Rick pressed. "I know you, I know you're worrying about how much extra exercise you're going to have to do but stop it. You have a great figure, believe me, I've noticed and I'm not the only one. Indulging yourself on your birthday isn't going to hurt.

Damn him for producing such a good argument. "Okay fine," she relented. "The chocolate cake with whipped cream sounds amazing."

"Coming right up," Rick grinned. "I'm just going to pop to the little boys room, I'll order on my way."

Kate saw Rick mention their dessert order to the waitress, who nodded and wrote it down to take to the kitchen. God he was ridiculous. Even when he knew there was nothing between them except friendship - right now, anyway - he still made those comments about her figure and it wasn't the first time he'd worked compliments to her into conversation.

It was sweet, she knew that but still..she'd never been good at taking compliments and her and Rick weren't even dating, he wasn't supposed to say things like that.

She was falling for him. And fast. It hit her like a ton of bricks and simultaneously scared the living day lights out of her. How could she be falling for him? Until less than a month ago, she'd hardly even had a civil conversation with him and now she had feelings for him. No, that could not be happening..

"Hello..earth to Kate?" Rick called as he sat himself back down. She was in a world of her own and he had to wave a hand in front of her face to get her attention again.

"Oh, sorry," Kate blanched, coming back to the present, cheeks flooding with colour. "Did you say something?"

"Just that dessert shouldn't be long. Are you okay?"

"Mm, fine," she replied. "Just got lost in my own thoughts."

"Anything you wanna share?" He grinned. He hadn't missed her blushing cheeks as he'd caught her daydreaming.

Oh _god_ no. "Nothing important," she smiled. "Oh look, I think that's our- _Rick_," she finished with a growl. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, suddenly becoming very interested in his napkin.

Coming towards them was their dessert, Kate's chocolate cake and Rick's sticky toffee pudding - and the cake had a candle in it. But not just a normal birthday candle, oh no, this was one of those fizzly sparkly ones that hissed and buzzed as it burnt, capturing the attention of many other people.

"I'm going to kill you," she hissed as the waitress put the plate down in front of her with a 'happy birthday!'

By now, the majority of the rest of the restaurant were watching them and Kate didn't miss the smirk on Rick's face. Oh he was so dead. The rest of the members of staff joined their waitress, all of them bursting into a chorus of 'happy birthday', many of the other diners joining in, much to Kate's embarrassment and Rick's enjoyment.

Kate muttered a thank you when they were done, dropping her head and letting her hair hide her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Rick said, not sounding apologetic at all. "But I couldn't resist. Do you know how adorable you are when you blush?"

"Shut up and eat your dessert, writer boy," she mumbled around a piece of her own cake.

"Yes ma'am," he said, still grinning like a damn Cheshire Cat who had got the cream. Oh one day he was so going to pay for this.

* * *

If Kate thought being treated to a nice lunch out for her birthday was all Rick had planned then she was sadly mistaken. Instead of saying their goodbyes and making their own way back to their dorms, Rick stayed by Kate's side, following her all the way back to her room.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, halting at her door. It wasn't like he'd never been to her room before but still, it was usually when he was actually invited there.

"You'll see. Open the door."

"O..kay," she agreed slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. He was up to something again but as usual, she had no idea what. Pushing the door open, she almost slammed it in surprise when a multitude of voices shouted 'happy birthday!' Once she was over the shock, Kate grinned, noticing that her room was filled with Lanie, Kyra, Adam, Jack and a few of her other friends from some of her classes.

"Did you do this?" She asked Rick, turning to face him.

"Well, I gave Lanie the decorations to put up but yeah, it was my idea," he shrugged.

"Thank you," Kate grinned, throwing her arms around his neck. "This is amazing, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Kate," he smiled, even looking a little embarrassed. "So does this mean you forgive me for the candle in the restaurant?"

"Hmm, I suppose so." Rick just grinned at her before heading over to the rest of her guests.

"He's been planning this for a week," Kyra told Kate when they finally got to say hello. "Hasn't shut up about it once, he was so worried you'd either find out or hate him for it."

"I couldn't hate him for it," Kate replied. "I can see how much thought and effort he's put into my birthday, and I didn't even tell him when it was, he's done an incredible job."

"He cares about you, Kate," Kyra added, "and I'm glad you let him have the chance to prove that he's not all flirting and sleeping around, I haven't seen him this genuinely happy in over a year and I know it's because of you."

"I guess I'm starting to see why you fell for him in the first place," Kate admitted quietly. "The guy that became your best friend..yeah, I think I'm seeing that guy a lot more now and he really is amazing."

The rest of the afternoon blended into the early evening, the group ordering pizzas for dinner and enjoying themselves. As the party drew to a close and everyone but Rick and Kyra had left, Kate realised what an incredible birthday she'd had.

"Well I guess we'd better go," Rick announced, "should probably leave these two in peace."

"Oo I just remembered," Kyra piped up, "Lanie, do you have that magazine article I was asking you about? It would be really useful for my sociology class.."

Lanie suddenly remembered too, leaving Kate and Rick to talk alone. "Thank you," Kate mumbled quietly. "You didn't have to do any of this and yet you did and it's been an amazing day."

"You're welcome. Look, I don't know if this is maybe going too far but I uh, got you something.."

"Rick," she began to protest but he stopped her.

"It's just something small," he told her. "Actually it's been in here since yesterday, I dropped it off with Lanie when you were out so I didn't have to carry it around." He dropped to the floor and retrieved a small box, no bigger than a shoebox, from under Lanie's bed. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Happy birthday, Kate."

Opening up the box, Kate saw he had given her a coffee mug. Taking it out of the box, she examined it more closely, noticing that the words covering it were her favourite things, 'friends', 'family', 'justice', 'coffee', 'books'..the list went on. Kate was gobsmacked that he'd listened so intently to every personal conversation they'd had, especially the ones involving her admiration for her parents and what they did and why she'd chosen to follow a career in law. That fact that he was able to personalise a mug for her was incredible. "This is..perfect, thank you," she smiled.

"No problem. I knew you wouldn't let me _really_ spoil you so I went for the less is more idea."

"You did great," she reassured him. "I love it."

"Perfect!"

Kyra came over then, asking if Rick was ready to leave. With some final goodbyes, the two left, leaving Lanie and Kate alone.

"Just friends, hey?" Lanie smirked.

"Shut up."

* * *

Three days later and it was _finally_ Friday. Kate was free for the morning and had two lectures after lunch, and then she was free for an entire week. This morning, she had a coffee date, however this time it wasn't with Rick, it was with Kyra. Ever since Kate and Rick had grown closer, so had Kate and Kyra, the two of them getting on well enough to meet up every now and then to have a catch up.

"Hey," Kate greeted as she arrived, joining Kyra where she already sat. "You excited for thanksgiving break?"

"Oh god, I can't wait," Kyra sighed. "Senior year is killing me, I just want to graduate now, I feel like I've been here forever!"

"That bad, hey?"

"It's a nightmare. But anyway, enough about how much I'm hating life right now, how're you?"

"I'm good," Kate smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. "Looking forward to a week at home though! What are your plans for thanksgiving, Rick never told me." In fact, he'd still been evasive about his own plans but she suspected maybe he was spending it with a girl or something and just didn't want to tell her.

"I'm going to Texas with my parents. I have an aunt there and we take it in turns to visit each other and this year it's our turn to fly down there. I leave in the morning, I'm meeting my family there." Just the other week Kate had learnt that Kyra too was from New York, it really was a small world.

"Oh that sounds nice, won't you miss home though?"

"A little but I'll be there for Christmas, it'll be nice to see my cousin again too, she's been abroad for two years but she's home this year. I sort of wish I was at home though, or Rick could have joined us."

"Isn't he going home?" Kate asked.

"No," Kyra said, shaking her head. "His mom is working over the holidays, she's a broadway actress, and so he's staying here instead of flying back to New York."

Kate was a little surprised at this new information, she imagined a guy as popular as Rick Rodgers would have been flooded with offers of places to go for the holiday. She also felt a little bad that she hadn't pressed a little harder when he'd been reluctant to tell her his plans, but she was also wondering why he hadn't just told her..

The rest of their meeting passed quickly, the two girls laughing and joking before saying goodbye for the week, Kyra's flight left early the following morning so she was heading back to pack and get an early night.

Checking the time, Kate realised she still had half an hour before her first class, so she made a quick dash back to her room. She had an idea but she needed to make a call first.

* * *

Later that evening found Kate standing outside Rick's dorm room - uninvited. She'd been here ten minutes already and hadn't knocked yet. She didn't even know if he was in or if he was there alone..the last thing she wanted was to interrupt if he had _company_.

She knew he had the room to himself and the bitchy side of her wondered if it was so that he didn't constantly have to keep a sock on the door. Like his roommate would ever be able to enter without being scarred for life anyway.

_Come on, Kate, this is ridiculous, _she told herself_. You are 19 years old about to see a friend, not a fifteen year old having her first damn kiss, get a grip._

Raising her hand and taking a deep breath, Kate knocked on the door three times and waited for an answer. "Please be alone, please be alone," she whispered.

After what felt like an eternity, the door swung open, revealing Rick standing there. "Kate!" He said, not bothering to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I um..you see..the thing is...I er.." God she sounded like an idiot.

"Do you wanna come in?" He asked, looking slightly worried at her inability to articulate a coherent sentence. Kate nodded and followed him into the room. "So can you tell me what's up now or do I need to kiss it out of you?"

"Nice try," she smirked. "I think we both know I'm not that easy."

"Tell me about it," he muttered playfully and she whacked him on the arm.

"I actually came over to ask you what your plans are for thanksgiving."

"Oh you know, I'll probably just hang about here, catch up on some work." He sounded evasive and distant and he knew it.

"Mm hmm, Kyra told me that. But I uh..I made a call earlier and I um..." Come on Kate, just spit it out. "Do you wanna come back to New York with me?" There, she'd said it.

"I um..what?" Rick said. Seemed like they were taking it in turns to stutter this evening.

Oh god, maybe she'd screwed up.. "I uh, called my parents before lunch and they said they'd be more than happy for you to join us. We have a spare room and it's always loads of fun. But uh, obviously you don't have to and if you really wanna stay here then that's fine but-"

"Kate," he interrupted loudly. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "You know, if you want.."

"Then I'd love to," he grinned. "My mother is working but if I'm going back I should be able to see her at some point, even if it's not on Thursday. You sure your parents are okay with it?"

"Yeah, they were happy about it. I mean..they probably think you're my boyfriend and we'll spend the entire week setting them straight but aside from that it'll be fun. And Lanie is going back to New York so we can make plans with her too."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"It's just thanksgiving, Rick. I just didn't want you to have to stay here if you didn't want to. New York is magical at this time of year."

"Tell me about it," he smiled. "Thank you so much, Kate, I'm really looking forward to it."

"That's what friends are for, right? Well I'll leave you to get packed, my parents already put a ticket on standby for you as it's bound to be super busy, luckily with so many flights there were still a few seats. So I'll call them and tell them that you're coming, okay?"

"Tell them I said thank you and that I'm really looking forward to it."

"Will do," Kate said, heading to the door. "Flight leaves at 11 so I was gonna get a taxi about 9, you wanna meet me at my room just before and we'll go?"

"Sure," Rick smiled. "And Kate - thank you."

Kate simply smiled as she left, knowing full well she'd never be able to forget the smile on his face when she invited him. It was bound to be a great week.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter isn't really done yet but it's getting late here and it's like 4500 words as it is so I think everyone will be okay with me leaving it there!**

**Also, I have no idea about flights from that area to New York at all, never mind thanksgiving 1998, let's just pretend for the sake of my story, yeah? ;)**

**Those of you who followed my story Seeing Double may remember that in July I moved to Spain for two months, meaning updates were a little scarce. Well those two months are up and this Sunday, I move back to England, so I'm not sure when updates will be for a week or so. I might be able to get another up before I leave, but no promises. However, I will be home for a week and half before I move to university, so hopefully lots of updates will be posted then!**

**Thank you for your reviews so far :)**

**twitter: holaitsjade | tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	8. Back home

**A/N: sorry I couldn't update sooner, last few days in Spain were busy and then I've spent a few days seeing friends and family but things are getting back to normal now so I'll keep updating as much as I can!**

**Sorry if I didn't reply to reviews for the last chapter personally, I've been super busy but please know I really do appreciate all of your lovely comments :)**

* * *

**Saturday**

"Are you sure you're sure about this?" Rick asked for what felt like the forty seventh time that day.

"Yes, Rick," Kate sighed, "I'm sure, okay? Now can you stop asking? I'm about to not be sure." The two of them were on the flight back to New York, settled into their seats and excited to land in their home city.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just...two months ago I couldn't even get you to give me your number and now I'm flying home with you to spend thanksgiving with you and your family...forgive me for thinking this is a little strange.."

"Okay, maybe you're right and this is a little odd but can't we just accept it? Yes, we had a rocky start because you were a jackass who was trying to get me into bed but we've moved past that haven't we? We're friends now and I just wanted you to enjoy thanksgiving, with a friend and…well, my parents will love you."

"Yeah, you're right. And thank you...I really do appreciate it, especially after the way things started with us."

"Mm, well I guess you've got Kyra to thank for that, it was her who convinced me that you really were a nice guy."

"I'll make sure to buy her an extra special Christmas present then," he retorted dryly. "But seriously, thank you. You know...I didn't wanna say anything but I wasn't really looking forward to staying on campus on my own and then having to sit through ten billion versions of the 'best thanksgiving ever' stories from everyone when they came back."

"You didn't wanna come home anyway?"

"Waste of a flight," he shrugged. "I'm not sure I'm gonna get to see my mom or anything so I would have just been sat at home on my own. So you're doing me a huge favour by inviting me to your place and I promise I'll make it up to you."

"No making up needed," Kate insisted. "You're my friend and my family are happy to have you. There's always too much food anyway, so you'll be doing my mom a favour, she might have a bit more room left in the refrigerator this year."

"You're an incredible person, do you know that?"

"It's just thanksgiving," Kate muttered, cheeks flaming. "And besides, you might not think that this time next week. I have things planned for us everyday this week, you're gonna be looking forward to getting back to college so you can sleep."

"I'll enjoy every second of it," Rick grinned and Kate rolled her eyes. Truth was though, she had a feeling she'd enjoy every second of it too.

* * *

The flight passed relatively quickly and before either of them knew it, the plane was beginning it's descent into JFK, the city illuminated by the lights from the buildings and cars…home.

"Katie!" A voice called as her and Rick wheeled their suitcases towards the exit, keeping their eyes open for Kate's parents.

"Mom!" Kate squealed, throwing herself into her mother's arms and hugging her tightly, before hugging her father just as fiercely. "Oh god, I've missed you guys!"

Despite the smile on his face, Rick was overcome with pangs of jealousy. His mother loved him, he knew that but still…she had to work over thanksgiving and he would never resent her for that because he knew how hard she'd worked when he was a child to make enough money so they could eat and have a roof over their heads but all the same…seeing Kate with her parents and how delighted they were to see their baby girl made him long for a family like that.

"Mom, dad, this is my friend, Rick Rodgers," Kate smiled, introducing him to her parents.

"Pleasure to meet you both," he smiled, holding out his hand for them to shake. "And thank you so much for allowing me to spend thanksgiving with you, I really appreciate it."

"Oh don't be silly," Johanna waved off, "you're a friend of Katie's and that means you're always welcome with us. And when Katie called and said you weren't planning on coming home for the holidays we simply couldn't say no, and I can promise you, thanksgiving in the Beckett household is always fun!"

"I can't wait," Rick grinned, and he meant it. He might have only just met them but it was obvious that Jim and Johanna Beckett were lovely people – well, their daughter was proof of that, but even so, it was nice to meet the people responsible for the fiery brunette who'd wormed her way into his life so easily.

The four of them made their way to the exit, both Jim and Johanna including Rick in their conversations, asking both him and Kate about school and what they'd been up to over the past few months and for the first time since his argument with Kate, Rick finally felt like he could be the real him, no more having to hide behind the girls and the cocky attitude – hell, being him had landed him with Kate, and he wouldn't change that for the world.

He was falling for her, he was beginning to admit that to himself now, and honestly it scared the hell out of him. The last time he'd actually had a proper relationship with a girl was Kyra and even then...well, these feelings he had for Kate were off the scale compared to what he'd felt for Kyra.

But she wasn't the kind of girl who was going to let him in easily. She was smart and wasn't going to risk getting her heart broken for some guy who had a reputation. No, if he wanted Kate, he'd need to prove it to her, spoil her and show her how special she was, and maybe, if he was extremely lucky, she wouldn't throw him out on his ear.

A little over half an hour later and the four of them arrived at Kate's home. They'd been fairly silent in the back of the car on the way, the two of them taking in the sights and sounds of home, the skyscrapers and the rush of cars...nowhere in the world like it. The boys told Kate and Johanna to head on in and they'd take care of the suitcases – it earned Rick a glare from Kate, he knew how much she liked to be independent and was perfectly capable of retrieving her own suitcase but in the end it seemed rushing into a warm house for a chat with her mother won out.

Jim showed Rick to the spare bedroom – the room that would be his for the next week – and grabbed him some towels from the cupboard for the bathroom.

"Bathroom is just down the hall, next to Katie's room. The two of you will be sharing but Katie always sings in the shower so I'm sure you'll know when she's in there, door locks anyway." Jim told him and Rick couldn't suppress a grin at the though of Kate singing in the shower...well, more of Kate in the shower but that was _not _a road he needed to go down whilst her father was stood right in front of him.

"I know its getting kind of late, and after your travelling I'm sure you and Katie just want to get some sleep but I think Johanna has prepared a light dinner down in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"That's great, thank you Mr Be- Jim," Rick corrected as Jim raised his eyebrows at him. "I'll just use the bathroom and then I'll be down."

Rick hadn't seen Kate since he'd arrived, and walking past what looked like the living room didn't produce her either so he assumed she was in the kitchen with her mother. He was about to walk through the half open door when he heard voices – more specifically voices saying his name, and despite his better judgement, he paused to listen to what they were saying.

"..you did good, Katie," he heard Johanna say. "Rick seems like a lovely guy and I'm so happy for you."

Wait, _what_?

"Mom," he heard Kate hiss and could just imagine the look of panic on her face. "Rick is not my boyfriend! We're just friends, okay?"

As much as Rick would have loved to stand there and listen to what Johanna had to say to that, he knew eavesdropping was a bad idea, and after everyone had been so lovely and welcoming, he really didn't want to go upsetting them. Making his way into the kitchen, Rick smiled at the two women as they turned to face him, Kate immediately turning a delightful shade of red.

"Ah, there you are, Rick," Johanna said. "Come and sit down, are you hungry? I made a chicken salad, or there's pasta in the fridge or-"

"Mom," Kate interrupted loudly. "Stop fussing. Why don't you and dad go and relax, watch some tv? We've got a busy week, remember? I can feed us both." It was an excuse to talk to Rick in private and Kate was sure her mother was taking that completely the wrong way but right now she didn't care. They had the rest of the week to convince her that they weren't a couple, one more night wouldn't hurt.

Her mother agreed and made her way out of the kitchen, leaving Kate and Rick alone. "There's plenty of food if you're hungry but the chicken salad she made is some secret recipe that she won't even tell me and it is to die for.."

"Sounds great," Rick smiled, watching as Kate grabbed plates and cutlery, before settling at the table with the food.

"So," Kate began after a few mouthfuls, "how much did you hear?"

"Hear of what?" Rick asked, playing dumb.

"You know what," Kate hissed. "The conversation I was having with my mother before you came in."

"Okay, so just the part where your mom said that you'd done good…why, is there more?!" He asked excitedly.

"As if I'd tell you," Kate mumbled, really giving Rick the answer he was looking for. Obviously there had been more, the blush on Kate's face wasn't simply from her mother thinking they were a couple, Kate had already told him that would happen. Yes, there was definitely more to it...he just had to find out what.

* * *

**Sunday**

"Okay so where do you wanna go first?" Kate asked as her and Rick made their way to the subway. It was 11am on Sunday morning and after a delicious breakfast of pancakes and waffles and bacon and egg, the two of them were getting out for a little while, exploring the city they knew so well but didn't get to see so much now.

"Umm...how about a walk through Central Park?" Rick suggested, it was one of his favourite places, just watching all the people and catching snippets of conversation, it was a place he'd never tire of.

"Sure," Kate agreed with a smile. "And there's this amazing little café not far from there where they have the most amazing coffee. It's tucked away down a side street so not many people know about it but we have to go there, you won't regret it."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

"I wrote some of my first novel here, you know."

"What, here in Central Park?" Kate asked. The two of them had been wandering slowly, a leisurely walk on a Sunday morning slash afternoon.

"Yeah," Rick nodded. "I needed inspiration for a supporting character and ever since I was a kid I've loved coming here to people watch, just seemed like the right idea."

There was a hint of sadness there that Kate couldn't quite put her finger on. However, she went with what seemed like the most obvious cause. "You'll get it published, you know," she told him nonchalantly. "I don't care about those rejection letters you've got, what do they know? All it'll take is for one publisher to actually read the whole thing and you'll be a superstar."

"Mmm, its sweet that you think that and it honestly means so much to me but…god, I guess I'm just thinking is it worth it? Every week I end up with more rejection letters...how many more publishing companies are even out there?"

"Hey, listen to me," Kate said sternly, dragging them both over to a nearby bench. "You are an incredible writer and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. Hell, the genre isn't even usually my cup of tea and I read the entire thing in two days! Just…promise me you won't give up, okay?"

It was the eyes. How could he look into those eyes and not give her what she wanted? Dammit. "I won't give up, Kate," he promised. "Even if I am only writing for you."

"Perfect. Now, let's not think about that this week, its thanksgiving and we're going to have fun. The coffee shop I was telling you about is just around the corner..."

"Okay, you're right, this is the best coffee ever!"

"Told you," Kate grinned, taking a sip of her own cup of heaven. "I don't know what they put in it but ever since I started coming here it's been like this."

"How did I never know about this place?" Rick wondered out loud. It would be a perfect spot to sit and write, and with coffee like that he could only imagine how much writing he'd get done in a single afternoon.

"My mom and I found it by accident once, but it looked so cute we came in anyway and well, the rest is history."

"Your parents are great, by the way," Rick said. "They've been so welcoming to me and I'm really grateful. You're very lucky to have such wonderful parents."

"What, you and your mom not get on?"

"Oh we do...it's just she's always working, always was even when I was a kid and I know she had to, it was tough at times, being the son of a struggling Broadway actress who also doubled as a single mom and sometimes there wasn't always enough left over for treats or days out. She did her best but it was hard for her, bringing me up on her own.."

"What about your father?"

"Never met him," Rick shrugged. "I was the product of a one night stand, I'm not even sure my father knows I exist."

"Then he's a fool," Kate replied. "Any man would be an idiot to give up something as amazing as you. You're smart and you're funny and you're an incredible writer, he should be proud of you."

"Careful, Katie," he teased. "Don't want your mom overhearing, she might think we're a couple again."

"Shut up," she snapped. "And don't call me Katie; it makes me sound like I'm about twelve."

"Oh, but it's cute!"

"Cut it, Ricky."

"Cutting it," he shot back quickly. "But um...thank you. For what you said...and yeah, some days I wish my father had stuck around but my mom and I did okay, I made it to 21 anyway."

"Don't let it go to your head," she warned. "Now come on, drink up, I want to get some early Christmas present ideas, I was thinking we could wander around some shops?"

"Yes ma'am," he teased, earning himself a glare. "Okay okay, let's go. Are you always this bossy? 'Cause its kinda hot and thinking about you being bossy in-"

"I swear to god if you finish that sentence you're not getting a Christmas present." She practically growled, buttoning up her coat and making her way to the exit.

"Ugh, fine," he sighed. "Wait, you're getting me a Christmas present?" He grinned.

_Crap._

* * *

**A/N: I apologise for the short chapter, but this has taken almost three days to write as it is, I seem to be having issues writing, literally anything and everything is distracting me right now! Another chapter should be up this weekend and I'll do my best to make it longer!**

**twitter: holaitsjade**

**tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	9. Complicated

**Monday**

"Mornin' beautiful," Rick winked as Kate came out of the bathroom, almost walking into him where he stood waiting to use it himself. "You wanna drop that towel a little lower? Or higher, I'm not fussy."

Damn him. He was only messing with her and she knew it but Kate couldn't deny that it really did affect her, her stomach suddenly filled with millions of tiny little butterflies. For weeks now she'd been fighting her attraction to him, determined to not give in to the bad boy charm that oh so totally did it for her. He'd changed, she knew that and it only added to the appeal of him but something was holding her back...the biggest worry she had was that as soon as she gave him what he wanted, he'd run off and find some other girl to get into bed. It was stupid and she knew him better than that but the doubt was still there, she couldn't take being just another one of Richard Rodgers' conquests, she cared about him too much for that.

But she cared about her own heart a damn sight more and she'd be foolish to put it on the line for a guy who could so easily break it into a million pieces.

Still, there was no harm in a little innocent flirting. "Oh yeah? You wanna see me naked do you Ricky?" She purred, stepping a little closer to him, practically pinning him to the wall with her gaze.

Rick gulped. He'd gone too far and he knew it but when she'd stepped out of that bathroom in what could only be described as a _hand towel _instinct had taken over. He'd promised not to try it on if they could be friends but damn, he only had so much self control and she looked _so hot_ all dripping wet hair and perfectly smooth legs that went on for six miles.

It also didn't help that he knew her parents had already left for the morning and the two of them were alone in the house.

They were toe to toe now, Kate crowding into him and pressing him up against the wall, her gaze melting into his with such intensity Rick wasn't sure he could speak right now.

"I guess if you want me naked then you're gonna have to take this towel off..." She whispered. Kate didn't even know what had overcome her in this moment but the look on his face made it so worth it.

"I um…" Rick gasped. "Kate…" he was aware that he sounded pathetic, half begging her to do…_something_. But he couldn't…_wouldn't_ cross that line, not until he knew she wouldn't regret it. The ball was firmly in her court and he wasn't taking it.

"Relax, Rick," she laughed, taking a step back. "God you're so easy!"

"You're practically naked in front of me Kate, what did you expect me to do?!" Now that there was a respectable distance between them again, he could relax and breathe properly.

"Yeah well," she shrugged, "consider it payback for all the inappropriate comments and flirting. God you should have seen your face!"

Rick couldn't help it. She was almost naked and wet and _laughing_ and it was more than he could take. Gripping her firmly by she shoulders, Rick whirled them around until Kate was the one with her back to the wall, her eyes wide in anticipation of what he was about to do. And then his lips were on hers, soft but firm, insistent and demanding, seeking entry into her mouth.

Kate resisted at first, too shocked to even push him away but then _oh god_ he was good at this and all thoughts of ripping herself away and disappearing into her bedroom went out of the window. Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, Kate deepened the kiss, groaning into his mouth as he bit down lightly on her lower lip.

Holy crap this was heaven, the guy sure knew how to kiss. Kate was melting against him, knees going weak as his tongue slid across hers. His hands began to wander, slipping down from their position on her shoulders, fingertips lightly tripping over her skin, goose bumps appearing on the sensitive flesh as his hands made their way to her hips, gripping her tightly and pulling her body flush to his own.

Kate's own hands moved to Rick's hair, tangling and running her fingers through it as he undid her with his lips. It wasn't until Rick's fingers started trailing a path up her inner thigh, underneath the towel she was still wrapped in that her brain seemed to comprehend what was happening.

"Rick," she gasped, tearing her lips from his. "Shit, we need to stop…" She didn't sound sure and she wasn't entirely convinced she was but Rick was a gentleman and she knew he'd stop the second she asked him to – sure or not.

"_Fuck_," she heard him mutter, their lips still just inches apart. He stepped away, allowing Kate the room to readjust her towel. "Shit, I'm sorry, Kate," Rick pleaded, waiting for her to kick and scream. "I shouldn't have done that and I'm-"

"Don't apologise," Kate interrupted sharply. "I wasn't exactly unwilling in all of that." Understatement of the century. "We're meeting Lanie in an hour, I need to get ready."

And then she was gone. Disappearing into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Oh god, he needed a shower. A cold one.

* * *

"I'm gonna go and grab a coffee, you two want anything?" Rick asked, coming to halt on the ice.

"Coffee would be great, thank you," Kate replied politely.

"A hot chocolate would be nice if it's not too much trouble?" Lanie asked.

"Not at all," Rick replied, giving Lanie his trademark grin. The three of them had spent the past two hours ice skating, meeting up at the infamous Rockefeller centre. Things had been...strained between Kate and Rick the entire way there, the two of them had been overly relieved to have someone else to talk to in the form of Lanie, who had kept quiet but Kate could tell her best friend was wondering what was going on.

Ever since their kiss earlier that morning, Kate and Rick had hardly spoken to each other, the atmosphere between them suddenly becoming very awkward. It was also another mark in the cons of dating Rick Rodgers. If one kiss meant they couldn't even look at each other, what would a relationship do to them?

"Another lap around the ice whilst Rick gets the drinks?" Lanie suggested, tentatively standing up on her skates and holding out a hand for Kate.

"Sure."

"Okay, so you gonna tell me what's going on?" Lanie asked as they began to make their way around.

"Hmm?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Katherine Beckett," Lanie warned. "I was shocked enough as it was when you told me you'd invited Rick back to New York with you but I believed you when you said you were only friends."

"We _are_ only friends," Kate insisted. Just…friends who stuck their tongues in each others mouths in super hot kisses.

"Sweetie, the heat between you two rght now is enough to melt this ice. What happened? Or do you want me to go and ask Ri-"

"He kissed me this morning," Kate blurted out. God, the last thing she needed was Lanie talking to Rick about it. "I came out of the shower and he was waiting to use the bathroom and..."

Lanie's eyes widened in shock. Despite the connection that had been there between them since the day they met, Lanie had recently started to think they would only ever be friends – Kate might be beautiful and smart but a guy like Rick Rodgers wouldn't wait forever. "About time!" She exclaimed. "So, why are you here and not making out like horny teenagers in your bedroom?"

"It's just…not right. We're friends. _Good_ friends, and if we were to take it any further I think when he got bored of me and moved on to the next girl we wouldn't have that. So I'm being selfish because if I'm not then chances are I'm going to lose one of my best friends."

"Oh honey," Lanie sympathised. "I don't think it'll be like that at all! Everyone can see how much Rick has changed since he met you and you know it's because he wants to be a better person for you…"

"I'm scared, Lanie," Kate whispered. "Scared of getting in too deep and having to put myself back together when he leaves...scared of getting my heart broken...scared of never finding another person as amazing as him."

"Oh wow, you've got it bad girl," Lanie laughed, taking Kate's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Look, if you want my advice then you need to just go for it. Take the guy by the hand and drag him into your bedroom – he's not an idiot, he'd soon catch on. But, I know you…you'll want to weigh up the pros and cons and figure out if it's actually worth it. So do that, but honey you have to make a decision, it's not fair on either of you, not now you've kissed."

"I know…it's just such a big decision to make. Usually if I date a guy it's a couple weeks or so after we meet but things are different with Rick and we've got so close over the past month or so that I just don't want to ruin it."

"Talk to him, he'll understand. We both know he wants a relationship from you but we also know that he'll take just being friends, because he cares about you."

"I know you're right and I will talk to him at some point – we can't spend the rest of the week like this, anyway, my mom would know something was up right away. But I like where we are now and I know I knew it couldn't last forever because we'd have to get together or move on eventually but I'm not ready to give him up yet…I'm just not sure if I'm ready for us to take the next step, either."

"Can I ask a question?" Lanie said and Kate nodded. They were nearly back from their loop now and they could see Rick making his way to their bench with the drinks. "How was the kiss?"

"I'd give up anything to have him kiss me like that again," Kate answered quietly, before skating off to the gate and her coffee.

* * *

"Can we talk?" Kate asked, standing in the entrance to the guest bedroom that Rick was occupying.

"Sure," Rick smiled, "come on in."

"Look, about this morning-"

"I'm really sorry about that," Rick apologised again. "It was a mistake and I shouldn't have done it. If you want, I can leave? You know, if it would make things less awkward for you."

"Don't be stupid, of course I don't want you to leave," Kate replied with a small smile. "I just figured we should talk because I don't particularly fancy spending the rest of the week avoiding each other and not making eye contact…"

"No, me either. So…we just forget it happened?"

"If that's what you want…" And Kate damned her voice for betraying her.

"No, Kate," Rick sighed, "that's not what I want. What I want is to be able to kiss you whenever I like. What I want is for us to take that next step and see how it works out, so I can show you off to everyone at college and make them all jealous because I have a super hot girlfriend. But I know you're not ready for that yet and I'll wait. Because you're so important to me, Kate, and I will try my hardest not to screw whatever this is up."

"You're Rick Rodgers," Kate pointed out sadly. "You're the most popular guy on campus and you can have whatever girl you want, I'm not stupid enough to think you'll wait for me forever and I can't lie and say I'm ready for what you want just yet."

"But I'm not with any of them. I'm not staying in anyone else's house for thanksgving, I won't be eating turkey on Thursday with anyone else's parents – not even Kyra's."

"Only because she's gone to Texas this year, otherwise I know she would have asked you to spend the holiday with her."

"Doesn't mean I would have said yes," Rick shrugged. "Kyra's mom and I never got on, I was never good enough for her daughter...it wouldn't surprise me if she threw a party when Kyra and I broke up…"

"Well then she can go in the same category as your father for all I care, because I know, and Kyra knows how amazing you are."

"What did I ever do right to deserve you?" Rick muttered. "Look, I know you're not ready for a relationship with me yet and I'm fine with that because everyday we make progress and even if I spend the rest of my life just being your friend then I'll be okay with that – as long as you're happy then it'll be fine with me, okay? Just…is there anything in particular holding you back? Anything I can help put your mind to rest about?"

"Not quite yet," Kate smiled. She wasn't quite at the point of telling him all her insecurities just yet. "But I promise, as soon as I'm ready to think about a relationship with you, and we're both available, you'll be the first to know, okay?"

"I'll always be available, Kate, no one could ever come close to you. Now come here, you and I are going to snuggle on this bed – above the covers – and watch crappy old romance movies, okay?"

"What if I get cold?" She asked innocently, but the glint in her eye was anything but innocent.

"I'll wrap you up in a blanket." Kate laughed. "I'm being serious. I'm not taking any more chances to ruin this with you."

"I wasn't exactly complaining this morning," she muttered.

"Oh I know you enjoyed it," he grinned cockily, "just next time know that I won't be stopping so you need to be sure."

No chance of her getting cold then…in fact, the temperature seemed to have risen about ten degrees.

* * *

**Tuesday**

"Katherine Beckett will you hurry up and get down here this instant!"

"Mom, I was using the bathroom," Kate explained patiently, making her way down the stairs to where her parents and Rick were waiting. "And besides, the museum of natural history has been there since 1869, I don't think it's going anywhere."

"Oh my goodness, I give up," Johanna sighed. "She's your daughter today, Jim."

Jim just chuckled. "Don't talk to your mother like that, Katie, it's not very nice." Kate rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so it's not just me you do that to then!" Rick piped up.

"She's been doing it since she was three, gets it from her mother," Jim whispered.

"I heard that!" Johanna called. "Now come on, let's go before Katie finds something else to distract herself with."

"Are you sure you wanna come with us today?" Kate muttered to Rick on the way to the car. "No one would blame you if you wanted to stay here or go and do your own thing."

"And miss out on the chance to see Kate Beckett with an attitude towards someone other than me? Not a chance, babe," he grinned, slapping her butt.

"Are we going to have to split you two up?" Johanna called. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

"Yes ma'am," Rick replied quickly. "And um, sorry.."

"She was joking, Rick," Kate laughed. "See mom, we always told you that you couldn't be funny." They climbed into the car and buckled themselves in. "And Rick?" She said in a quiet voice. "Slap my ass or call me babe again and you'll be walking funny for a month."

"Got it," Rick gulped. God she was hot when she was feisty.

* * *

"Burgers for lunch?" Jim suggested a few hours later. They'd spent the morning at the museum, revisiting some of their favourite pieces and displays. Ever since she was a kid Kate had loved the museum, and nothing had changed about that even though she was older now.

"Oh, it's been ages since I've had a proper New York burger!" Kate replied excitedly. "Rick, have you ever been to the diner.."

"What do you think the deal between those two is?" Jim asked Johanna quietly as they trailed behind the two youngsters, Kate babbling away about the amazing food they served at the diner they were making their way to.

"I don't know," Johanna replied. "Katie insists they're just friends but I've seen the way he looks at her..and I suspect she has feelings for him too but you know our Katie, she'll keep everything inside and not tell anyone what she's feelings, she's always been the same."

"I know, I just want her to be happy and Rick..he's a great guy - and I guess I just needed to know if it was time for me to have the chat with him."

"I don't think Katie would have brought him home if there really was something going on, she'd be too worried you were going to scare him away," Johanna joked. "No, I think they're just friends for now, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were together by Christmas."

"She's growing up," Jim muttered sadly. "Where's our little girl with the pigtails and her shoes on the wrong feet?"

"Oh I know, it's gone so fast," Johanna agreed. "But maybe one day soon we'll have grandchildren to spoil?"

"Not until she's thirty," Jim growled. "I'll lock her away if I have to."

"You do remember that I was only in my 20s when you got me pregnant with Katie, right?"

"Mom, dad, hurry up!" Kate called, sparing Jim from having to answer. Boy, she really was excited about those burgers.

* * *

"So Rick," Johanna said over lunch, "tell me something interesting about you."

"Mom," Kate groaned. "Can we skip the third degree? I invited Rick to spend the holidays with us because it's fun, I highly doubt he wants to sit through-"

"It's fine," Rick interrupted.

"Oh I forgot," Kate smiled sweetly, "any opportunity to talk about yourself, right Ricky?"

Rick had learnt over the past month or so that when she called him Ricky, it's when she was poking fun at him, but only in her adorable, Katie-like way. "Oh you know me so well, Katie," he shot back and she poked her tongue out at him.

"Ricks a writer," she supplied.

"A writer?" Johanna repeated. "Oh how interesting, what do you write?"

"Um..murder mystery," Rick answered quietly. It wasn't that he minded talking about his writing, he actually enjoyed it when people took a genuine interest in his hobby but he was feeling a little sensitive right now, wondering if it would only ever be a hobby.

"Like James Patterson?" Johanna questioned. "I've just finished the fourth Alex Cross novel, I hear there's another out next year. Maybe you'll let me read yours one day?"

"I um.."

"He's great, mom," Kate added. "I've read his manuscript and it's awesome, I know it won't be long until a publisher sees how talented he is and then there's gonna be heaps of novels for you to read." Under the table, Kate squeezed his thigh - as a sorry or an 'I really mean that you're great', he didn't know but appreciated it all the same. "Is aunt Theresa coming to us this year?" Kate asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, she'll be here tomorrow," Jim nodded. "I know it's been a couple of years since you've seen her, she can't wait to see her little Katie."

"Oh now this I'm looking forward to," Rick grinned. "Do I get to see your naked baby pictures, too?"

Kate almost choked on her coffee at the word naked, memories of the previous morning outside the bathroom flooding back. Rick patted her on the back whilst her parents looked worried. "Just..swallowed the wrong way," she gasped. "And no, Rick, you're not seeing my baby pictures."

Kate could have sworn her mom whispered "I'll show them to you," as she began to cough again.

Something had changed between her and Rick, they weren't quite in a relationship yet but after the events of the previous day, it was obvious they'd taken a step forward. He'd called her stupid pet names before, joking about, but never once had he slapped her ass - and in front of her parents? Thank god Lanie hadn't been there, she'd have had a damn field day.

Kate Beckett had some decisions to make - and quickly.

* * *

**twitter: holaitsjade**

**tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	10. Never like this

**Wednesday**

"Come with me," Rick blurted out over the breakfast table.

"At least buy me dinner first," Kate shot back quickly and Rick was so shocked he almost spat out his orange juice.

"Katherine Beckett, did you just…make a sexual innuendo?" He asked incredulously.

"Well technically you made the innuendo, I just expanded it," she grinned. "God you're so easy. Okay, so where do you want me to come with you."

"Can we please use a different word?" Rick choked. "After your dirty joke I can't use that word in relation to us unless it's about us actually…you know."

Kate's cheeks flushed at the sudden onslaught of mental images of her and Rick in various positions without clothes. "Okay," she began again. "Where would you like me to go?"

"To visit my mother with me."

_What? _"I…um…"

"You don't have to," Rick added quickly. "But you know, you've been so great to me, inviting me to stay with your parents for the week and I kinda thought I could introduce you to my mom..."

"We aren't a couple, Rick," Kate replied coldly, more venom in her voice than was wanted or needed. "We aren't dating, and just because you're here with me and my parents doesn't mean you have to introduce me to your mom."

"Do you think I don't know that we're a couple, Kate?" Rick hissed, trying not to attract the attention of Kate's parents. "Do you not realise that I spend every single night thinking of you and what we could be before I fall asleep, only to get up the next morning and just be your friend?"

"Don't you dare turn this around on me!" Kate returned angrily. "I never asked you to wait until I was ready and I'm pretty sure that last night you said you were fine being my friend? So what's changed?"

"Nothing's changed, I _am_ fine being your friend, I just wish…god, you have no idea how much I want to be more than friends with you. And I'm trying my hardest here, I really am, because all I want to do, all I've wanted to do for months is push you onto the nearest flat surface and-"

"Rick," Kate growled as a warning, glancing over her shoulder to the door. The last thing she needed was either of her parents overhearing this particular conversation.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "I shouldn't have said that and I know how far we've come and how much trust you've put in me and I'm grateful, I really am, it's just hard sometimes being so close to you and yet I always seem so far away."

"You're not," Kate replied quietly. "Far away, I mean. You and Lanie are my two closest friends and I would trust you with anything, I promise. I just…I have issues and stupid insecurities that mutter away to me every time I even think about starting a relationship with you. And that's not fair on you, I know and I wish I could say go and find someone else, but I can't because the thought of seeing you with another girl would break my heart." She hadn't meant to say so much but she was beginning to feel a little guilty about how she was acting with him and it wasn't fair. He might have told her he'd wait but she couldn't expect him to do that, he was a 21 year old male – a rather attractive one at that – and it wasn't fair to make him wait like this. "But," she sighed, "if that's what you want, to have someone else who can make you happy then please don't let me stop you because I'd rather you were happy being with someone else than miserable waiting for me."

"You know, for a smart girl you really can be incredibly stupid sometimes," he mused.

"Seriously?" Kate said, raising an eyebrow. "I spill my heart out to you and you call me stupid?"

"What I meant was that I can't believe you could still possibly think that I would want anybody other than you. And I don't know what these insecurities are because you won't open up to me but please, at least think about telling me because if that's all that's holding you back then maybe I could talk through them with you and we can figure whatever this is out."

"Okay," she agreed, "I'll think about it." It was about time she faced up to her feelings and nothing was going to change if she didn't just pluck up the courage to tell him what had her so worried.

"That's all I ask," Rick reassured with a smile. "So, does this mean you'll go with me to meet my mother or not?"

"Do you really want me to?" Kate asked. "I know you don't see her very often and the fact that you have a morning with her this week is so lucky and I don't wanna get in the way of your family time."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you there," he pointed out. "It's not like my mom and I have deep and meaningful conversations when we're together, it's just a catch up and I know she'll be delighted to have someone else to talk to."

"Okay fine, if it means that much to you then I'll go, okay?" She knew she'd never be able to resist the second she looked into his eyes; she was a sucker for them. For him. Once this week was over and they were back in California, she'd talk to him. Tell him what had her so worked up and worried about starting a relationship and see how it went from there. It could be that he'd end up telling her something she didn't want to hear and this friendship they had going now would be gone but that was a chance she had to take because every moment she spent with him, she fell for him a little more.

"Great!" Rick grinned. "I told her to meet me at this little café we love on the upper west side in an hour from now so you need to get your pretty little butt into gear – unless you want to meet my mother in your pyjamas, that is."

"What is your obsession with my ass?!" She asked, rising from her seat and dropping her mug into the sink. "Actually, on second thoughts, please don't answer that question."

* * *

"...And then, he ran out onto the stage - stark naked!"

"Oh my goodness, Rick," Kate gasped, fighting for breath through her laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Please tell me there's a video of that somehwere?"

"If you want to see me naked, Kate, you don't need to watch videos from when I was six years old."

"Richard," Martha scolded, "don't be so crude, Katherine is a lovely young lady and I will not sit here and let you scare her off with your vulgar behaviour."

Rick could see Kate grinning from the corner of his eye, clearly finding it highly amusing that at twenty one years old, he could still be scolded and shut down by his mother. They'd been at the little café for just over half an hour and despite Ricks initial reservations that Kate would be overwhelmed by his eccentric mother, things were actually going really well. After the polite introductions and some small talk about her latest role in whatever play she was currently in, the two women had quickly struck up conversation with what they had in common - him. Yeah, he hadn't thought that one through properly. His mother had regaled them with tales of his youth and the mischief he had got up to as a child - but he had to admit, if it meant he got to hear Kate laugh then he'd give her an all access pass to his life story.

"Oh I know he's only joking, Mrs Rodgers," Kate smiled, "I've learnt by now when to not take him seriously."

"Katherine, dear, please, call me Martha," the older woman insisted once again. "And don't you let him get away with being cheeky, he knows I brought him up better than that and sometimes I swear he does it just to annoy me."

"Don't worry, mother," Rick replied. "I can promise you that there have been many threats to various body parts when I've stepped over the line, honestly, you're lucky I'm sat here today."

If he was looking for sympathy he wouldn't be getting any from his mother. "Good," she said, "it's about time you found a girl who didn't put up with your crap, you need someone to challenge you."

"Oh, mother, we aren't-" Rick began to protest, not wanting to make Kate feel uncomfortable.

"Yes yes, so you've said," Martha replied with a wave of her hand. "But trust me, I think it's rather obvious that the two of you have more between you than just friendship."

"Mother," Rick warned, shooting worried glances to Kate, they were just beginning to open up and talk, making progress and he really didn't want her changing her mind because of his persistent mother.

"It's fine, Rick," Kate told him quietly. She liked Martha and it was clear where Rick got his charm and exuberant personality from and what did it matter if Martha thought they were together? If things worked out, they probably would be before Christmas and Kate knew how it worked, all Martha would want was for her baby boy to be happy and if thinking he had Kate as a girlfriend made her happy, it wasn't the end of the world.

The rest of their meeting with Martha passed quickly and before they knew it, she had to get back to rehersals. Kate felt a little sorry for Rick, not that she'd say it to him directly as she knew he wouldn't want sympathy but still, it couldn't be easy only getting to spend and hour or two with your mother over the whole week they were off. Kate excused herself to use the bathroom before they left, giving mother and son a few moments alone.

"She's a lovely girl, Richard," Martha told him. "Does she make you happy?"

"Mother," he sighed, "Kate and I-"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes," he admitted. "She makes me happy. Happier than I've been in years and I'm so scared I'm going to screw it all up."

"Richard, if there's one thing I've learnt working with actors over the last years it's to work out when someone is acting and when they're being sincere, and I can tell you that girl is crazy about you. Just give her some time, I'm sure she'll come around."

"It's complicated. Kate..she's different. It wasn't like this with Kyra and after that it was barely long enough to remember their name but with Kate..god, I just want to make it work."

"And so you will," Martha told him simply. "If it's meant to be, it will be and you and Kate..I can see how good you are together, don't let this one go."

"Don't worry, mother, I have don't have any intention of letting her go anywhere."

* * *

"Thank you for inviting me today," Kate said to Rick as the two of them began their walk back to the subway station. They'd agreed to help her parents prepare things for tomorrow's dinner so after a quick stop to the supermarket for last minute supplies, they were heading back to Kate's place to get started.

"No worries," Rick smiled. "Are you glad you agreed to join me?"

"I am, actually," Kate replied. "Your mother is a lovely woman and it was a pleasure getting to meet her."

"She liked you too, you know?"

"I'm glad."

The silence between them was awkward, which didn't usually happen and Rick had the feeling Kate wanted to say something but was debating whether or not to say it.

"Did she like Kyra?" Kate blurted out and Rick had to hide his grin. So she was jealous, was she?

"Kyra never met my mother," he replied evenly. "Believe it or not, I'm very protective of my mother and yes, I trusted Kyra with my life and yes, I was in love with her at the time but it just never felt right to go to all the hassle of finding a time when all of us were free."

"Okay."

"By the way - the whole jealousy thing? So hot." He tried to keep his mouth shut but seriously? She was jealous of his ex girlfriend and he couldn't help himself.

"I'm not jealous," she muttered. "Just curious."

"Mmhmm."

"Don't give me that or I'll get my mother to put you on washing up duty when we get home."

"Wouldn't happen," Rick replied cockily. "Your mom likes me too much."

Kate had to laugh at that, he was right.

* * *

**A/N: just a short one today! Things are getting busy for me now, I move to university in four days and I haven't actually started packing yet. I will try my hardest to get another update done before I go but I can't promise anything, and after that I have no idea whenupdates will come but I will aim for at least once a week! Thank you so much for all of your reviews so far :)**


	11. Crazier

**A/N: to the guest who thought Kate was being a bitch - she's a teenage girl, she flipped out, it's normal. Thank you to everyone else for all of your lovely reviews, I know I didn't get around to replying to you all personally this time but I really do appreciate it. Apologies that I've been quiet for a week or so, freshers week at uni has been mad and I've hardly slept, never mind had time to write – and now freshers flu is hitting which isn't great! But things should be calming down a little now, proper classes are about to start and I'll be aiming to update this at least once a week, depending on my work load :)**

* * *

**Wednesday (continued)**

"So did the two of you have a good morning?" Johanna asked her daughter as they stood together at the sink peeling potatoes and vegetables.

"Yeah, we did, actually," Kate smiled. Despite her reservations on going with Rick to meet his mother, she really had enjoyed herself. Martha was a lovely woman and it was clear she had done an incredible job raising her son alone and managing to support them both. "Rick's mom is great, I think you and dad would like her."

"Well I'm sure we'll get to meet her in due course," Johanna answered diplomatically. Her daughter had been insistent that her and Rick were simply friends and Johanna respected that, she knew Katie would tell her what she wanted to say and nothing more and that was fine, but it was clear as day that they were not 'just friends'.

Kate supressed a smile. It was obvious what her mother was trying to do, Kate had more than enough experience of dealing with her mother when she was trying to get information from her daughter. "I know what you're thinking, mom," she said, "But Rick and I are just friends." Well, it was a half-truth, right?

"Katie bug, I know you, remember?" Johanna answered softly. "And if you want to tell me that you and Rick are just friends then that's fine, I know you don't share your feelings easily, it used to make me feel awful when you were younger, that I couldn't even get my own daughter to tell me what was wrong but I learned to accept that it's just part of who you are." They'd both stopped peeling now and Kate had taken a seat at the kitchen table, her mother swiftly joining her. "But honey, you know it's not good to keep it inside and if you ever want to talk then you know where I am, okay? I love you and I only want what's best for you, you know that."

"Yeah I do," Kate smiled. "And I love you too mom…I know I don't talk to you as much as you'd like me to but I'm just not very good at taking about my feelings, especially when they're all still so muddled up in my own head."

"Sometimes talking can help straighten them out, sweetie."

"He kissed me," Kate blurted out in a rush. "The other morning, before we went to meet Lanie…and now I don't know what's going on because I know the Rick I have now is not the same Rick that I met. God, you should have seen him mom, he was cocky and arrogant and a complete jackass but now…well, you know him now, look how different he is!"

"Look, Katie, it's been evident – to your father and I at least – that there was something between the two of you since the moment you both arrived. We didn't push it because you told us you were only friends and we respected that but I can't take seeing you confused and worried like this Katie, I just wish you'd talk to me."

Kate's next words were out of her mouth before her brain even had a chance to filter them.

"I think I'm falling for him, mom."

* * *

Whilst Kate and Johanna began food preparations for the following days' festivities, Jim and Rick were on their way to Grand Central Station to pick up Theresa – Jim's sister – and her husband Mark, who were joining the Beckett's for thanksgiving. Jim had asked Rick if he'd like to tag along, claiming that some male company would be nice, it had been in short supply ever since he'd met and married Johanna – even less when they'd had Katie.

"So Rick," Jim began. "Are you enjoying being back in New York?"

"I am," Rick grinned. "I love it here, always have, there really is no place like home."

"Why did you choose to attend college in California then, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all. I love New York, don't get me wrong, it's my favourite city on earth but four years or so ago when it came to me applying for college, I just wanted to get away. I don't know what Kate has told you about my family but it's always just been my mother and I. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces and I wouldn't change her for the world but as a seventeen year old, I just wanted to get away!" Rick laughed. "And so, I applied for Stanford – never in a million years did I think I'd get in but I did, and after that there was no other decision to make."

"Katie hadn't mentioned your family, actually, but thank you for trusting me with that piece of information, I can't imagine it's very easy for you to admit. Well, however you got there, I'm glad you did as I haven't seen my Katie this happy in a long time and I'm convinced that has something to do with you."

"I like seeing her happy," Rick admitted. "We didn't get off to the best of starts – mainly because I was a jackass and she called me out on that – and there were a few rocky weeks but I won her round eventually and I can honestly say I'm so glad that I did, she's been an amazing friend to me."

"And that's all you are is it, friends?" Jim asked, with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. He and Johanna had decided last minute to cook up this little plan, deciding they wanted to know what was really going on. It wasn't that they were against them being just friends or more, as long as Katie was happy then so were her parents, but they also knew their daughter like no one else did, they knew how stubborn she could be and how determined she'd be about revealing her feelings. But Rick seemed like a great guy, and one that seemed to be willing to wait for Katie, for whenever she was ready, and Jim felt it only right to question his daughters new friend a little, and figure out where they really stood in the grand scheme of things. And if, like Jim suspected, there was more from Rick's side than just friends, he might even be able to give the young man a few hints into how to deal with his spitfire of a daughter – trust him to end up with a wife and a daughter with the exact same personality traits and temperament.

"I can't imagine Kate knows we're having this conversation?" Rick asked with a grin.

"Oh goodness no!" Jim replied. "She'd have us both by our ears if she found out I was planning this."

"Now that I don't find hard to believe," Rick muttered. "Kate and I…it's complicated. Like I said, we didn't start all too well and after some of the things that were said I know how lucky I am that she's still talking to me. We've worked up a great friendship over the past month or two and she's one of the people I'm closest to…we're great friends."

"Look, Rick," Jim began. "If you say you're just friends then that's fine, you're just friends, but both Jo and I can see the way you look at her…hell, I doubt it's much different from the way I used to look at Jo all those years ago! We know Katie can be stubborn and temperamental, she takes after her mother like that but you seem to get that already and not be phased by it…I guess what I'm saying is don't hold back because you think it's what she wants. Katie won't initiate those sorts of conversations herself, she never has, you have to go to her. And I don't know the ins and the outs of your relationship and frankly I don't think I want to but this game the two of you are playing is crazy…I'm sure the woman at the checkout in the supermarket could tell the two of you were into each other…just don't let her drive you away from what you want."

"I'm crazy about her," Rick blurted out. "She's incredible, everything about her, and I'm so glad we got things sorted because right now I couldn't imagine my life without her. Thank you, for what you said…I'm sure it can't be easy seeing your little girl all grown up but I'll look after her, if she'll let me." Rick knew what he needed to do now, no more tiptoeing around the subject, they needed a full and frank discussion about where they stood. He'd give her the rest of the week, he wouldn't make things awkward for her here at home but as soon as they made it back to California, they were talking whether she wanted to or not.

"I know you will," Jim smiled. "And if you don't…well, I don't think I need to tell you how scary Beckett women can be when they're pissed off."

No, Rick definitely didn't need a lesson in that.

* * *

Shit. Had she meant to say that? No. But then…yes. It was the truth and this was her mom, if she couldn't talk to her mom then who could she talk to? "I um…"

"Don't worry about it, Katie bug," Johanna smiled. "Your secret is safe with me. And sweetie? I'm happy for you."

"What, because I've fallen for a guy who will replace me the second I give him what he wants?" She muttered, lying through her teeth and regretting it instantly. "No," she sighed. "I shouldn't have said that. Rick is incredible and I know he isn't like that anymore and I doubt he was even as bad as I make out he was but…"

"You're angry at yourself for letting your feelings show," her mom supplied. "I know it's scary, honey, and I know you've never really got this close to a guy before so I'm sure things are all muddled up in your head but for what it's worth, I don't think you could have fallen for a better guy."

"He's pretty great, isn't he?" Kate grinned. God, he'd turned her into a blushing, smiling fool. Stupid man. She'd already decided that they needed to talk when they made it back to California at the weekend - that much was clear after their kiss but now…what was stopping her from taking the final leap and falling into a relationship with him?

"He's perfect for you, Katie. He looks at you the exact same way your dad used to look at me…"

"Dad still looks at you like that, mom," Kate smiled. "Even after all these years you're still crazy about each other." As much as she pretended to hate it when she saw her parents all loved up, Kate loved it really, it was adorable how much they still adored each other. "I'm just scared…Rick and I are such brilliant friends now and I'm so worried that turning it into a relationship is going to ruin everything…what if I lose him?"

"And what if you miss out on the greatest thing that's ever happened to you?"

* * *

**A/N: I know it's only a short one but it's been a while and this is all I have time for today, I'll get started on the next chapter and get it posted asap!**

**Oh, and HAPPY CASTLE MONDAY, GUYS, HIATUS IS FINALLY OVER!**

**twitter: holaitsjade / tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


	12. We are family

**A/N: Okay, so hands up who hates me? I'm SO sorry this hasn't been updated sooner but uni has been super busy and I literally have no idea where the time is going! Things are starting to settle into a routine now so hopefully this means I'll have more time to write. Again, I'm so sorry!**

* * *

**Still Wednesday**

Rick and Kate barely had time to say a hello to each other once Rick and Jim arrived home with Theresa and her husband. It seemed Theresa couldn't believe how grown up her little Katie was – Rick was still hoping for pictures before they left on Saturday – and ended up monopolising most of her niece's time. Rick didn't mind too much, he wouldn't admit how happy it made him to see how happy Kate was, he'd gotten sappy enough lately as it was.

They'd had a quiet afternoon and early evening, finishing up the preparations for the following days meal and generally catching up – or in Rick's case, getting to know Kate's family a little better.

"So tell me dear," Theresa began loudly as the group congregated in the living room for one last drink before bed. "How long have you and Rick been together?"

Rick couldn't help but smile a little, especially with the blush that appeared on Kate's face. Theresa had had a few glasses of wine that evening and Rick could tell she was a little tipsy, quite possibly sparking the interrogation she was now beginning.

"Oh, Aunt Theresa, you see-" Kate began but her aunt interrupted before Kate could clarify that they weren't actually a couple.

"Because honestly, I have never seen two people so perfect for each other! Well, perhaps apart from my dear brother and Johanna, honestly Katie, you should have seen the way they were when they first met!"

Rick was practically bursting now with the effort not to explode into laughter – which hadn't gone unnoticed by Kate, she was glaring at him so fiercely he knew he'd be dead if looks really could kill. With a quick glance around the room, Rick noticed that Jim and Johanna were also finding the whole situation amusing…poor Kate.

"We aren't together," she blurted out loudly, probably to make sure Theresa heard. "I mean..." she blushed even more, if that were even possible. "Um…Rick and I are friends," she mumbled.

Rick lost track of the conversation after that. He had honestly been expecting to have to fight with the stubborn thing he'd fallen for in order or her to even think about admitting she could possibly have feelings for him but now…well, her reaction just now to Theresa's line of questioning had been interesting…perhaps she was into him and Jim was right, she just wasn't going to initiate that kind of conversation with him. That was fine with Rick, he had been planning on talking to her anyway, especially after their kiss the other day but she'd just made the entire thing a hell of a lot easier.

It wasn't until Rick had dragged himself from his thoughts that he realised Kate wasn't even in the room anymore – she must have already gone up to bed, too embarrassed to even say goodnight to him.

* * *

"Kate?" Rich whispered into the darkness as he tapped lightly on her door. "Kate, are you awake?" No answer. Rick highly doubted she was actually asleep but still, he got the hint and made his way back to his own bedroom.

* * *

**Thursday**

Kate awoke early the next morning, despite not sleeping well the previous night. Although she had made her way up to bed fairly early, it had taken her hours to get to sleep, and even when it did come, it was restless. Her relationship with Rick was constantly playing on her mind these days, particularly after admitting to herself and her mother that they were more than just friends. They desperately needed to talk but today was going to be far too busy and hectic for them to get a moment's peace together, and they were up early the next morning to meet with Lanie and her mother and sister for some black Friday shopping.

It was starting to look as if they'd be having _that_ conversation on their plane journey back to California, Kate highly doubted Rick would be able to resist bringing it up during their six plus hours alone together.

Despite the early hour, Kate could already hear her mother bustling around in the kitchen, and decided to drag herself out of bed and into the shower so that she could go down and help. And make coffee, of course.

* * *

"Oh good morning, Rick," Johanna grinned as their guest made his way into the kitchen. "Happy thanksgiving!"

"Happy thanksgiving to you too, Johanna," Rick replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot on the kitchen counter. "How long have you been up?" Rick thought he was awake early, getting out of bed at around 8 but he had heard voices even then.

"Oh about two hours," Johanna shrugged. "Katie came down about an hour ago, as you can probably guess from the coffee over there." Johanna rolled her eyes and Rick couldn't quite believe how much it made her look like her daughter.

"I heard my name?" Kate enquired as she wandered into the kitchen, still dressed in her pyjamas, complete with fluffy slippers.

"Just talking about your coffee addiction, dear," Johanna reassured. "You and your father can keep the stuff as far as I'm concerned."

This time it was Kate who rolled her eyes. "We will," she replied lightly. "You just stick with your tea…are you sure you're not the Queen of England?"

Johanna was saved – well, Kate was saved from a harsh remark by the entrance of her father. "Good morning everyone and happy thanksgiving!" He announced as he made his own coffee. "Are we having a family meeting I didn't know about?" Rick was about to protest that he wasn't family when Jim got there first. "Honorary family members included."

"No dad, no family meeting. Just mom here up at the crack of dawn and waking the entire house up," Kate joked.

"You watch your mouth, Katherine Houghton Beckett, or I'll have you on washing up duty for the entire day," her mother warned.

"Yes mother," Kate replied sarcastically with another eye roll. "I'm going to get dressed, try not to wake Aunt Theresa would you?"

Kate heard her mother mutter "can one of you two look after her today?" as she exited the kitchen, and it didn't escape her notice that Rick had suddenly been lumped with babysitting duty. Her parents seemed to really mean this whole 'honorary family member' business.

* * *

The reason for Johanna's early rising was that she wanted to get as much done as possible before they all settled in front of the TV to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It was a Beckett family tradition, one they'd had since Kate was small. They'd taken her to see it once when she was much younger but all of them much preferred to watch it from the comfort of their living room with the smell of the turkey being roasted.

After that, it was a few games of cards whilst the final preparations were made to lunch before the six of them tucked in.

"Now Rick," Johanna said as they all sat down to eat. "I know you're not with your mother this thanksgiving and I was just wondering if there were any particular traditions you'd like us to carry out? We keep it pretty simple here, we'll say thanks and grace before we eat but apart from that it's just about filling yourself up before we collapse onto the sofa!"

Rick was touched. Not only had the Beckett's been more than welcoming, now they were allowing him to act as if he were at home. "Nothing more than that," Rick smiled. "We keep it pretty simple at home, too."

"Perfect. Well, would you like to start then?"

"I'd love to. This year I am thankful that I, and everyone I care about is happy and healthy. I might not be with my mother for this thanksgiving but I know she's doing what she loves today. It's been a wonderful year and I have plenty that I need to be thankful for, mostly for the beautiful girl sitting to my right." Rick paused and chanced a glance at Kate whose head was hung so her hair hid her face, but he could still make out the blush on her cheeks. "Kate has been a wonderful friend to me over the past few months and I'm so thankful for our friendship and to all of you for allowing me to spend thanksgiving with you this year."

Whilst everyone smiled at Rick and the thanks moved onto Johanna, Kate reached out and squeezed Rick's leg, shooting him a shy smile.

Yeah, he was more than thankful for this girl alright, and she'd be his by the end of thanksgiving break, that much he was counting on.

Once all six of them had made a small speech about what they were thankful for, it was time to eat. "This looks amazing, Johanna," Rick praised. "Kate told me you were a great cook but this is just wonderful."

Even Johanna blushed this time. "Well thank you ever so much, Rick," she beamed. "One day I'm hoping to pass onto Katie what my mother taught me but I'm sure you know how stubborn that girl can be when she doesn't want to do something!"

"Right here, guys," Kate interrupted loudly. "Are you done talking about me? Besides, I can cook perfectly well, I've managed at college for two months!"

"Only because you live with Lanie and she is an incredible cook," Rick smirked. "I bet if you lived alone you'd be living on take out."

"Do you have to agree with my mother?" Kate grumbled. "She already likes you, you don't have to gang up on me."

"Too much fun," Rick retorted with a grin.

Kate was about to shoot back another response but her father cleared his throat, gently reminding both her and Rick that they weren't alone in the room. Kate muttered a "sorry" in her father's direction and the room fell silent for a few minutes whilst everyone tucked into their meal.

"So, Rick," Johanna began, breaking the silence. "How's it going with the writing?"

Rick didn't even need to glance to his right to know that Kate was shooting her mother a murderous look right at that moment. "It's fine," Rick whispered to Kate, dropping his hand beneath the tablecloth to squeeze her knee lightly. "Well I'm still writing," Rick said, raising his voice so the whole table could hear him again. "It's not an easy task and I'm still focussing on graduating next summer but the plan is to take it more seriously once I'm done with college."

Kate was surprised no one asked right then when the wedding was. Not only had Rick charmed her parents and aunt over the past week, he'd also just announced that no matter his love for writing, his education came first. Hell, even Kate was falling for him more.

"Well we all know how tough a critic Katie can be and if she says you're good then you must be excellent," Jim smiled.

Rick blushed his thanks and went back to his food, the rest of the table following suit. After finishing their turkey dinner and all washing it down with a large helping of homemade salted caramel chocolate cake, the washing up was left in the kitchen for later on and the six of them retired to the living room, flopping down onto couches and beanbags, completely stuffed.

"I'm not going to be able to eat until Christmas," Rick groaned.

"We've got turkey left over," Kate grinned, "and you know we'll be having turkey sandwiches this evening."

"Nope," Rick replied adamantly, shaking his head. "I mean it, no more food until Christmas."

"Who's for a game of monopoly?" Jim suggested, entering the room with the box. "Should keep us entertained until the game this afternoon!"

* * *

True to her word, Kate and Rick did end up eating more that evening, the two of them making a light tea out of the leftovers after watching the Detroit Lions beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime with a very controversial coin toss. They'd definitely be talking about that one for years.

The rest of the evening was spent laughing and joking with a few hands of cards before everyone made their way up to bed. Kate, Rick, Johanna and Theresa were up early the following morning to go shopping, whilst Theresa's husband Mark joined Jim and a few of his friends for a day of fishing at the lake.

Kate and Rick were the last two to go to bed, calling it a night at the same time and heading up together. Kate's room was closest to the stairs so she stopped outside, Rick following suit. "I had a great time today, Kate, thank you again for inviting me."

"You're welcome," Kate smiled. "Honestly it was kind of nice to have someone my own age around...I love my family but being an only child has been kind of lonely at times like this. And today…well today was perfect."

"I'm glad," Rick told her honestly, "I like seeing you happy."

Kate blushed, knowing full well that he meant it. "You make me happy," she whispered, glancing shyly up at him.

"Kate..." Rick shifted closer towards her, so that he was almost backing her up against her door, eyes boring down into her own, filled with passion and confusion mixed together.

"Kiss me," she whispered and Rick didn't need to be told twice, his lips swooping down to meet with her own in a slow, sweet kiss. "Shit," she muttered as they pulled away from each other.

"Saturday," Rick growled under his breath. "That plane ride back to California on Saturday? We're talking then." And with a quick kiss to her forehead, he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway and towards his own room.

Holy crap.

* * *

**A/N: First off, I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm not American so apologies if I screwed up thanksgiving, my research was done through google, including the football game! Also, I'm sorry again for the slow update and I did consider dropping this completely as I don't have much time to be writing but I got a few lovely messages asking when it was being updated so I'm staying put!**

**Also, I just finished writing and editing this chapter and it's currently 2:40am so I apologise for any glaring mistakes!**


	13. Can't say no

**A/N: thank you thank you thank you! You guys literally blew me away once again with all of the lovely reviews for the last chapter! **

* * *

**Friday**

"Oh my goodness, I'm shattered!" Kate announced, tossing herself onto the couch and closing her eyes. "I feel like I could sleep for a week right now!"

"Mmm, me too," Rick groaned, dropping down next to her.

"Don't get too comfortable," Johanna laughed. "Both of you need to finish up packing tonight if you want to make your flight tomorrow morning. Your dad said we'll leave for the airport around 7, Katie, so make sure you're up and ready please, I know what you're like..."

"Yes mother," Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. "Why are you only nagging me, anyway? Rick has to be up too."

"Yes well, Rick has managed to be on time for everything this week. Do you not remember this morning?"

"Okay okay," Kate grumbled, "I'll be up, I promise." It had been a long day for all of them, they had met Lanie and her mother and sisters in the city at 6am that morning – only just making it as Kate hadn't been able to drag herself out of bed in time for their planned departure. She had stumbled downstairs at 5.40 to find her mother, aunt Theresa and Rick all waiting for her as if it wasn't the crack of dawn and she should have been up hours ago.

Still, once they'd actually arrived they'd had a good day, all of them managing to grab some bargains and get started on their Christmas shopping. Kate had brought a brilliant gift for Rick that she was really looking forward to giving him the following month, as well as spotting something she knew her mother would love too, so the early morning had definitely been worth it.

The sun had already set before they'd made it home and Kate was half tempted to just call it quits and go to bed. They'd had a late lunch out at a lovely Italian restaurant and she wasn't overly hungry…but her mother was right, she needed to get packed if she was going to be up and ready early enough for the flight back tomorrow. That thought filled her with nervous excitement, wondering if Rick was going to stay true to his word and bring up the talk they both needed to have.

Kate was looking forward to getting back, although it had been nice to see her family, she was loving her time in California and was excited to see her friends again. Lanie wasn't flying back until Sunday as she had extra family commitments to see through, which meant they hadn't booked the same flights back…it was definitely just going to be Kate and Rick up there, 35000 feet and nowhere to escape to.

* * *

**Saturday**

"Katherine Beckett will you get out of bed right now!" Johanna half shouted through the door. "We're leaving for the airport in less than an hour and I will not have you making it more of a rush than it needs to be!"

Kate groaned and threw the duvet over her head. Maybe if she hid away like when she was a child, her mom would disappear and-

"Katherine," her mother warned, closer this time so she was obviously in the room. Without warning, the covers were ripped off of Kate's body, goosebumps appearing on her skin at the sudden wave of cold air.

"Alright, I'm getting up," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "See?" She added, her voice full of teenage attitude, "I'm standing up and everything."

"Do I have to stand here and make sure you don't get back into bed?"

"No, mother," Kate sighed. "I think I'm more than awake now."

"Good. I want you downstairs with your bags, ready to walk out of that door in 40 minutes, no excuses!" Johanna left the room and Kate resisted the temptation to sink back into her bed. It would be no use, she had no doubt her mother would be back up to check on her in five minutes time, she might as well keep her happy and get herself sorted, she did have a plane to catch after all.

Luckily she really had finished up her packing last night, placing the final items in her case and leaving out just what she needed for this morning, so getting ready wouldn't take too long. She pulled on her jeans and favourite knitted jumper, tossed her hair up into a ponytail and freshened up her face with a little bit of makeup and she was done. Checking the time, she was impressed to find out it had only taken her 20 minutes – she might even have time for coffee before they had to leave.

"Good morning, Katie bug," her father greeted as she made her way into the kitchen, where her mother and Rick were also seated. "Here, I made you this," he passed her a steaming mug of coffee, "you should have time to drink it before we leave."

"Thank you, daddy," she smiled, taking the mug from him. As much as they nagged and whined at her, Kate was going to miss her parents, but she'd managed two months without them already and before she knew it, she'd be home for Christmas break anyway.

"Now, both of you are packed and ready to leave?" Johanna asked and both Kate and Rick nodded. "And you have your tickets?" They nodded again. "And your-"

"Mom," Kate interrupted. "We have everything, okay? You don't have to fuss."

"Just trying to prevent panic and delays at the airport," Johanna defended. "It's been a busy week and I'm sure the last thing either of you wants is to realise you've forgotten something when it's too late to come back and get it."

Kate was about to open her mouth and reply, no doubt with something sarcastic, but Rick got there first. "Thank you, Johanna, we know you're just trying to help." He shot a 'don't we' look at Kate who rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. "I'm going to go and double check I've got everything. And so are you, Kate," he added, eyeing her as he stood up from the table. "I know what you're like, you've probably forgotten your hairbrush or something…"

To the surprise of both Jim and Johanna, Kate actually stood up and followed Rick out of the kitchen without a word of complaint or attitude. "Why doesn't she do that for us?" Johanna asked, slightly offended.

"She's in love," Jim chuckled, "I bet if it came down to it, there isn't much she wouldn't do for that boy." As much as they both hated to admit it, their little girl really was growing up now.

* * *

"Okay, are you sure you've done everything?"

"Yes mom," Kate replied. "We've checked in, our luggage is on its way to the plane and we still have-" she checked her watch, "-two hours until the plane leaves, okay? So how about we go and sit down, have a coffee for half an hour and then Rick and I will go, still with plenty of time to make the plane, okay?"

Johanna agreed and the four of them made their way to a little café on the corner, settling into a booth and ordering some drinks. "All that caffeine is going to make you crazy," Johanna commented to her daughter. "Good luck on the flight," she added, looking to Rick this time.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fine," he reassured. "I think Kate and I can keep ourselves entertained for six hours."

"Hey just think, mom, it's only two weeks until I'm home for Christmas!"

"Just as I was thinking I might get a little more peace and quiet…" her mother muttered. "What are your plans for Christmas, Rick?"

"Oh I'm coming back to New York," Rick answered. "My mother's play finishes a couple of days before the end of term, so I can spend some time with her when I get back. And then it just depends on her schedule, she might have rehearsals for something or another over the holidays, but I'm not too sure yet."

"Well make sure you come and stay with us again if your mother is busy," Johanna demanded. "Or bring her over at some point, Jim and I would both love to meet her."

"Maybe I will then," Rick smiled. "Thank you. And thank you both for being so welcoming to me this past week, it really has been brilliant."

"That's not a problem," Jim smiled. "It's been a pleasure having you to stay, make sure you come and visit us over Christmas!"

"I will," Rick promised with a laugh. "I guess we better get going," he said to Kate. "This airport is huge and knowing our luck, our flight will be from a gate on the other side."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kate agreed, finishing up her coffee and standing up to say goodbye to her parents. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks," she said, hugging her mother. "And thank you for being so nice about Rick joining us, I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem, Katie," her mother smiled. "He's a great guy, you're very lucky."

"I know," Kate whispered, glancing at Rick as he said goodbye to her father. They all switched and Kate hugged her father too. "Bye daddy, I'll see you at Christmas."

"Bye honey, you look after yourself, okay? We'll see you in a couple of weeks."

With one last hug and a wave goodbye, Kate and Rick made their way towards the security area and towards the boarding gates.

"Do you think they finally will have sorted out their relationship by the time they come home for Christmas?" Johanna asked her husband.

"Our daughter? Don't hold your breath. That girl is far too much like her mother."

* * *

Eighteen minutes. It took a grand total of eighteen minutes, just enough time for the plane to have taken off and the seatbelt sign being switched off before Rick stated that they needed to talk. Kate should have known he wouldn't have been able to wait long but even she wouldn't have predicted it would be that quick.

"Yeah, I guess we do…" she answered shyly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. The plane was relatively quiet, they had a spare seat in their row so it was just the two of them and there were spaces dotted about in the surrounding rows too.

"Look, Kate, I'm just going to come out and say it, okay? I'm crazy about you. I have been since the day I first met you and you didn't fall at my feet. And I know we've sort of talked about this and I was a jackass and you hated me and then I screwed up and by some miracle you forgave me and now we're here and you've just let me spend thanksgiving with your family and-"

"Rick, breathe."

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. "I tend to ramble when I'm nervous."

"Who would have thought, playboy Rick Rodgers can get nervous when talking to a girl," Kate teased.

"You're not just any girl though, Kate," Rick whispered and she blushed. "And I think you of all people know I'm not the same guy I used to be. Since meeting you…god, you've made me realise that I was missing out on so much fun. Before I met you I was too busy trying to impress everyone, trying to keep everyone happy and not worrying about what I wanted."

"I know you've changed," Kate smiled. "God, the guy I first met…" She laughed at the memories of what he'd been like just two months ago. "But now…now I know you're nothing like that and I'll admit, I'm glad. Because as much as I tried to deny it, I wasn't as oblivious to your charms as I wish I was, but I knew nothing could come of it when I wasn't the only girl you were interested in."

"For the record, no one else ever came close once I'd met you."

Kate blushed again, how was it the guy always knew exactly what to say? "Maybe you should think about writing romance novels, Rick," she joked. "I hear the middle aged housewives really go for that sort of thing."

"I think I'll stick to murder mystery, thanks," he grinned. "But in all seriousness, I found that once I'd met you I couldn't even think about being with anyone else. I can promise you right now that there has been _no one_ since the day I met you."

Wow. Now that was a revelation she hadn't been expecting. Seriously…no one? Kate couldn't help the scattering of butterflies that appeared in her abdomen at that moment.

"You wormed your way into my mind, Kate, and no matter how much I tried, there was no way I was getting you out."

"Rick," she whispered, looking up at him and taking his hand.

"So I know we agreed on just being friends all those weeks ago but I think it's fairly obvious we're more than that and I uh…"

"Rick? I'm pretty crazy about you too, you know."

At that, he simply grinned at her before dropping his head so his lips could meet hers. "So does this mean we can give us a try?"

"Yeah Rick, I guess it does."

* * *

**A/N: QUESTION TIME: Johanna was never going to be killed in January, I was planning it for the summer (just call me Bracken), but I've had messages from people asking me not to kill her off so I'm leaving it up to you guys; majority wins so please let me know if you think I should keep her alive or not. (If you don't mind either way, still let me know and I'll count your vote in both sides.)**

**Also, reviews are welcome :)**

**twitter: holaitsjade / tumblr: cowboyscastleandkatic**


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